Would you buy a pothole?

Our worst winter in 30 years has left the country riddled with potholes. It is estimated that the number of new holes has increased by 60 per cent over the last two years. With the average pothole costing around £70 to repair, and with a pothole found every 120 yards it will take more than fifteen years to resolve the problem at a cost of more than £10 billion.

So how are we going to foot these costs? Some councils are proposing a rise in council tax. So would you be happy to pay an extra ‘snow tax’? Bill Hoult, the council’s Lib-Dem leader said: “Of course the snow has caused problems but the council has £15 million in reserves to deal with unforeseen emergencies like this.”

But it’s not only repairs that are costing our local authorities money.  The AA have estimated that our uneven road surfaces  have led to the amount of injury and damage claims increasing by over four times the amount in the past two years - with over 2,400 vehicles claiming this February alone. Last year the big freeze cost the authorities almost £50 million. An LGA spokeswoman said the “The harshest winter for 30 years has left councils with a massive repair bill at a time when finances are squeezed”.

So is there a way of solving this problem? A village in eastern Germany has come up with a novel approach. The authorities are ‘selling’ the potholes, and in return buyers will have the hole repaired with their own personal message on top. The potholes are being ‘sold’ for €50 each, and are already being snapped up by local TV stations and newspapers, who are using it as an advertising opportunity.

So would this work in Tavistock and surrounding areas? If you were going to pay for a repair what message would you choose to have displayed?