Is this the worst roadin Lincolnshire?
Which road these days doesn’t contain a few potholes, a collapsed drain or two and a stretch of mud...especially if you live in a rural area?
Spare a thought, though, for residents of Deep Lane in Hagworthingham.
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Hide AdFor several years, they have been trying to get Lincolnshire County Council to do something about the ‘deplorable state’ of their lane.
Deep Lane cuts through rolling countryside and leads to a handful of properties, including one owned by Hugh Darlington and his wife Alison.
They can’t remember the last time they saw the tarmac surface.
The lane is buried under three or four inches of thick, cloying mud. It is impossible to count the number of ‘lethal’ potholes, some of them more than a foot across and inches deep.
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Hide AdThe mud - and the loss of drainage channels - means there are pool of standing water. When it rains, it is even worse.
Most residents have had to buy 4x4s. Walking the lane would test the skills of Torvill and Dean at their prime.
It is especially difficult for children who have to trek through the mud to catch the school bus which runs along the main road at the top of the lane.
A refuse lorry from East Lindsey District Council does brave the conditions.
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Hide AdAccording to Mr and Mrs Darlington, even that has made things worse.
The lane is so narrow the lorry ‘dislodges’ soil from the embankments and dumps it on the lane, adding to the mess.
ELDC did send a roadsweeper this month but according to the couple, it was a wasted journey.
Mr Darlington said: “The driver took one look at the lane and said - ‘What am I supposed to do with that?’
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Hide Ad“To be fair, he had a go but he couldn’t move the mud. He kind of polished it - and made it even more slippery.”
The couple don’t want to complain too much for fear ELDC will stop collections and insist residents drag bins to the top of the lane.
The couple have written to County Hall countless times and registered complaints on the authority’s reporting hotline.
Mrs Darlington said: “They (the county council) keep saying they will do something but we’re still waiting. It’s deplorable.
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Hide Ad“We’ve lived her for 16 years and conditions have definitely got worse in the last three or four years.”
Mrs Darlington said she had seen county council employees at Deep Lane twice in 16 years.
The couple did contact their local county councillor Hugo Marfleet who sent them a text saying he understood their problem, adding his own car was being repaired because of pothole damage.
Mrs Darlington added: “He basically, told us: ‘We will get there... I’m just not sure when.’ Great.”
“The parish council has been supportive but we just want someone to do something. We’re at the end of our tether.”