Dacorum man starts pothole awareness group after 'years of being ignored'
A resident in Dacorum has started a campaign group after getting fed up with what he describes, as the continuously poor condition of the roads around him.
Nathan Thompson from Apsley has started the Facebook group ‘Potholes Hemel Hempstead and Surrounding Areas’, believing the local authority downplays the seriousness of road defects in Hertfordshire.
But Hertfordshire County Council rejects this, and says that it has doubled the number of crews dedicated to repairing roads. A spokesperson for the authority also said recent wet weather has exacerbated the issue.
The description of the Facebook group calls on people to help tackle the pothole problem, saying: “The more evidence we can show them, the more they have to acknowledge it.”
Mr Thompston was inspired to launch the group due to his experiences navigating potholes in London Road, Apsley. He says the road has been in a poor condition for eight years, and his car’s tyres have been cracked by the surface six times in the previous two years alone.
He says he successfully lodged a legal challenge against the council regarding one of the repairs, and settled another legal dispute with the council last year, which resulted in the authority paying out £550.
Hertfordshire County Council did not directly answer questions regarding Mr Thompson’s claims.
Meanwhile, he has submitted Freedom of Information requests to track the number of pothole claims made on London Road – and said the volume of claims proved that the repair work the council is undertaking is ‘rubbish’ and ‘subpar’.
Mr Thompson said: “Those in charge need to be held accountable,” and he hopes his Facebook group, which has over 300 members at the time of writing, will help residents do so.
He claims previous attempts to address the issue with council officials have been unsuccessful as they either ‘downplay’ the issue or ‘ignore’ his correspondence.
A spokesperson for Hertfordshire County Council told The Gazette: "We've seen more potholes than we would usually expect this time of year because of the extended period of wet weather and with this weather set to continue, we have deployed extra crews to help keep up with the increased demand. We currently have twice as many crews as usual fixing potholes and have reprioritised less urgent work so we can focus on repairing potholes and keeping the roads safe and traffic moving.
"We repaired over 3,300 potholes in January 2026 and continue to address the most urgent defects as quickly as possible. We are also making temporary repairs to some potholes to ensure we can visit as many as possible to keep the roads safe until the surface is dry and warm enough for a longer‑lasting repair.
"Residents can help us by reporting any potholes they see at https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/highwayfaults."