CLICK HERE to tell us about a pothole

To email us a photo of a pothole click here


May 2008

From: David Clazie
Woodhall Farm

Views: I have lived in woodhall farm for 35years there has been what appears to be a subsidence of the road outside my house which when it rains forms a puddle 8feetx10 feet nothing has ever been done about it,and the pavements are in a terrible state also not been touched since woodhall farm was built.this council has a lot to answer for.


From: angela
hemel

Views: "tell us about a pothole"...where do we start?!!!! mini roundabout at junction of high street green & adeyfield road, vast majority of wood crescent, long john, service road round by the news close called partridges in benetts end...the list goes on & on. the vast majority of us pay our road taxes & all we are getting back in return is damaged tyres & suspension on our vehicles!!! ive never seen such bad roads in all my life until lately in hemel & its a disgrace. guess the highways department wont be satisfied until there is a serious accident & they are up in court being sued & then forced to fork out & repair the lot. maybe we should all protest by stopping paying our road taxes in vast numbers...they might notice then!!!

From: Mr Tearle
Hemel Hempstead

Views: I am a youngish disabled person. I had an accident due to a slab beside the water gardens being loose caterpulting me into the water. This area was a hazard and I would like to hear from any other people who have had any simular accidents or falls. gimpingcat@hotmail.com Your help would be much appriciated.


April 2008:


From: TRISH
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD

Views: I live in Bassil Road, just become permit parking and the potholes near the bottom especially are a real pain, also I have to endure potholes near my work on Paradise some of which are extemely deep...it is just disgusting that they have just up our rent , road tax and made us pay to park ...for what...



From: Brian Kent
Hemel Hempstead

Views: The pot holes in this town are an absolute disgrace and are conclusive proof that this council spends the money WE PAY for other things like expensive JOLLIES. We pay a fortune for that rent we put in the car window, we then, under government ruling, pay an equal sum through the council tax for local authorities to maintain roads. So we are paying TWICE. So, I suggest we take as many photo's as possible and fire them all off to the council, thousands of them. Send them to councillors homes, they will soon get the message. Next, WE should start to IMPOSE FINES on the council for failure to maintain the roads, lets say £30 PER POTHOLE, Oooo big ouch, they love their fines, well so do we. We pay them to do a job, like keep the roads serviceable, they are failing, fine them. Next, every time your car is damaged by a pothole, SUE THEM. These idiots need to be taught a lesson, come on people, its our cars being wrecked by these roads, lets wreck the council, I am up for the fight, are you?



From: D Johnson
Hemel

Views: Potholes. Have lost count of times I have reported pothole at entrance to Hospital in Hillfield Rd. It is a previous patch job that has sunk over 6 inches, and causes our ambulances to jolt their passengers, some of whom are critical.



From: Anon

Views: The potholes in Maxted Road are awful. It is like being on a rollercoaster.



From: Wendy
Hemel Hempstead

Views: The potholes from Warners end shops (Stonycroft) all way down long chaulden are disgusting. There are more holes than road. AND when you reach the bottom of long chaulden at the junction of Northridge Way even the mini roundabout at the bottom has large chunks missing from it. Surely it is about time the area of Dacorum had some decent roads.

From: Kathleen Lovatt
Hemel Hempstead

Views:I recentally made a formal complaint to Hertfordshire highways regarding potholes. I was driving along the Potten End Road a went down a masive pothole this resulted in my tyre being damaged and my alloy wheels being scuffed. I wrote to the local MP complaining about the state of our local roads and why are we paying road tax he replied by saying that the roads in hemel are going to be looked at th next finacial year subject to funding.
Regarding the letter of complaint i wrote to Hertfordshire Highways I had sent pictures odf the damage to my tyre and alloy and also pictures of the pothole and basically all they said was they are not expected to know about all of the pothole andthe last time that strech of road was inspected was April 07 and as far as they where concerned this is acceptable. They say that they rely on us members of public and local police to report these sorts of problems. They also said as noboby else had reported this is was acceptable that the road is in ok condition (this road STILL hasnt been repaired.).
I live in Highfield and just outside of my road there is a big pothole that was filled in and now the pothole has come back and hasnt been repaired. If anyone was to drive around hemel in a 10mile circle you would be very suprised on the amount of potholes and as you can see for my responce from hertfordshire highways they are not willing to sort the problems out very easiely.



From: Roy Lathwell
Hemel Hempstead
Views:: I work on Maxted Road and it's a disgrace. Countless large potholes and long stretches of the road sinking along the entire length due to shoddy quick-fixes by utility contracters but it's pointless reporting it. I did so and my complaint was quickly marked as having been dealt with when in fact only one pothole was filled despite there being at least half a dozen more within a few paces.
A colleague of mine did the same and received the same thorough response. Are the maintenance workers blind, stupid or too obstinate to do more than the minimum required on their job sheet? Cars are forced into the middle of the road to avoid the holes and any cyclist using the road is taking their life into their hands.
Some of the other roads feeding off of the industrial estate are no better and Northridge Way in Chaulden/Warners End is a death trap. My other half had to replace a tyre late last year due to a pothole in Three Cherrytrees Lane and the council has so far refused to compensate us. I'm not a driver myself but even I'm appalled at the condition of the roads in this town.



From: Bill KEAR
Nash Mills

Views: Serious potholes at the bottom of belswains lane near the factory, and they continue along to Red Lion lane


From: Angela Walsh
Berkhamsted

Views: Berkhamsted's potholes make National Press! They are that bad! (See Motoring.letters@telegraph.co.uk). They are not just unsightly and make a poor representation of the town, they are very dangerous, especially to cyclists (myself!). They are an accident waiting to happen and I for one will hold the relevant body responsible. Can anyone explain the logic of filling one or two potholes in a cluster of ten?



From: colette
adeyfield

Views:: Go along newfield lane and you cant not notice the pothole, its actually more like a crater!!! where does out road tax go, obviously not to fix the roads




From: Carol
Hemel
Views: What I cant understand is why on earth the roads around Hemel have had new road markings painted recently (including Maylands Ave) yet the roads still need the potholes to be mended. It does not make any sense!

From: EMMA
HEMEL HEMPSTEAD

Views: I have had a car for just over a year now and in that time i have had to replace 2 wheels due to potholes! Firstly it was the potholes down Mountfield Road which the coucil refused to replace as it was a "private road" they have since done so, however the pot holes around Hemel are just disgraceful anyway! I live in Adeyfield the amount of times me and my firends have got out and checked the wheels because i have hit a pot hole with a bang! Its awful, something needs to be done...what to i pay my road and council tax for??


From: Stephen Battaglia
Hemel Hempstead
Views: I think every road in Hemel Hempstead, especially around Bennetts End area are a disgrace. If you want to avoid potholes down Rumballs Road, for example, you could be stopped and breathalysed you would be swerving so much. It is about time the County Council put some of our Council Tax to good use and started spending money on improving all of our roads, not just junctions such as the one at the bottom of Bennetts end Road by the roundabout. Nice and smooth and then ouch! You hit a pot hole again!



From: Michael Parks
Pitstone
Views: Potholes,Tring is one big pothole,from Tesco's to Miswell lane.Excluding the brick bit,which has just been done at last!Station rd.is so bad you think it is corrogated,the canal and railway bridges flood every time it rains,the canal bridge caused two fatal accident some years ago.Yet with all this needing doing what did they resurface ? the road at the side of the church!Northfield rd is awash at the laybie's and a very bad smash resulted again.



From: Jane
Hemel
Views: My daughter damaged the alloy wheel on her new car in a massive pothole in Maxted Road. Despite submitting a complaint and receiving a response saying they would look into the problem and get back to her, she never ever received a reply and the pothole is still there. I even saw a Police car driving around the pothole recently. The roads in Hemel are possibly the worst in the county and the council dont want to know. What on earth do they do with our money?



From: Llyn Hay
Hemel Hempstead
Views: There are so many potholes in the roads around Hemel it would be more economical to slow traffic down by making all the holes deeper, rather than making speed humps!! The pavements and kerbs are dangerous, made worse by service vehicles driving across them -what a seedy town Hemel has become. Why is this council spending so much money on huge sculptured eyesores when practically every road in the town is in such desperate need of proper resurfacing, it certainly is'nt visitor friendly!



From: Paula Thomas
hemel hempstead
Views: Potholes Potholes everywhere!! I'm not a driver, but I do still care, when on the bus or in a car, there are potholes, near and potholes far... Northridge way, Warners End, these potholes are enough to drive you round the bend.. We pay our taxes, and pay our dues... The council bosses haven't got a clue..
When will they be fixed?, or sorted out, We must stand tall, and we have to shout.. Sort them out, fill those holes, don't just nod your heads, DO AS YOU ARE TOLD... BIG BOSSES, IN BIG CHAIRS, SUPPING COFFEE, WITHOUT A CARE... ITS NOT FAIR, THE ROADS ARE A SIGHT.. STOP WASTING OUR MONEY....AND DO SOMETIME RIGHT!!!!



From: Serena,
Hemel Hempstead

Views: The potholes in Tile Kiln Lane are hazardous, bt they are not just in the road, the paths are a nightmare too.


From Jonathan Culverhouse
Piccotts End
(See photo in Gallery)
Views: It looks harmless enough but the puddle in this photo hides a lethal hazard. It's a pothole that's bagged many an unsuspecting motorist along a stretch of pretty country road between Hemel Hempstead and Markyate.
I fell foul of it two years ago when, pulling over to avoid an oncoming car and travelling at no more than 30mph, its jagged edge punctured both my nearside tyres and buckled the rear wheel. Facing a bill for £800 I took up the case with Herts County Council, who eventually settled out of court.
Despite my repeated letters, the council have done nothing to repair the pothole. In the two years since my experience I have come across three other stranded motorists cursing this hidden menace. My photo, taken on April 1st, is no joke.
The current pothole measures a wheel-buckling 8 inches (20cm) in depth and more than 3ft (90cm) in length. It's frequently filled with water which makes it even more dangerous. One motorist I talked to when taking the photo had just placed some plastic cones in the pothole to warn of the danger.
The problem is that it's in a dip where the road narrows, making it impossible for cars to pass without pulling into the side. I notice that Herts County Council have spent tens of thousands of pounds resurfacing little used country roads that don't need it while neglecting blackspots such as this. Will it take a far more serious accident before they take some decisive action?

March 2008

From: GRAEME SIMPSON
Leverstock Green

Views: Rants Meadow has just been resurfaced and the pavements repaired,now the water board is going to dig it up to repair the drains,amazing.The pot holes in Tile Kiln Lane,Kiln Croft and at the large cross roads near the citroen garage in Hemel Hempstead are a disgrace.The ones at the cross roads near the citroen garage are at least 6 inches deep and cover about 4 square feet,they are incredibly dangerous.Any one on a motor bike is dicing with death.


From: Maureen
Berkhamsted

Views: The potholes in Berkhamsted by Ashlyns School are disgusting. There are two kerb pinchers by St Edmunds which are really bad especially if you have a chronic back condition like myself.


From: Shirley
Hemel Hempstead

Views: Potholes, potholes everywhere! I think almost every road in Hemel Hempstead needs resurfacing. Just filling in potholes is not the answer as within a short while the infill has sunk. A major one that I use frequently is the one on the traffic lights on London Road/Two Waters Way I am sure that my tyres and suspension is suffering because of this and it cannot be avoided if you are going into Hemel from Apsley.

CLICK HERE to tell us about a pothole

To email us a photo of a pothole click here