Ramsgate man mends road and bills Kent County Council

A man who became frustrated while waiting for Kent County Council (KCC) to fill in a pothole near his home has carried out the work himself.

Peter Manning, of Ramsgate, sent the council a bill, demanding cash for an hour's labour and materials.

The council said it would not be paying individuals to attempt to carry out road repairs. It also said his actions were illegal and dangerous.

Mr Manning, of St Mildred's Avenue, said he had done the council a favour.

He said: "It's much better than it was. It was about a foot deep before. I cleaned it all out and filled it up.

"You couldn't avoid it, you had to go into the pothole. There was a big thud every time.

"And of course I was worried about cyclists as well. They could easily have been injured.

"I decided to do it myself in the end. I was a bit indignant and frustrated, so I thought I'd send them a bill too."

He said the council had not yet responded to him regarding his invoice.

But he added: "I think I've done them a favour really. It's stopped a few more complaints, it's another one off their list."

Kent County Council issued a statement which said the local authority had already filled in more than 80,000 potholes and was getting around to the rest as quickly as possible.

Commenting on Mr Manning's actions, it said: "This action is illegal and dangerous. It could also have serious consequences for other road users. For these reasons, Kent Highway Services does not approve.

"As the service responsible for road repairs, Kent Highways Services seeks to do this safely both for the individual workers carrying out the repairs and the travelling public.

"We will certainly not be paying individuals who attempt to do this type of work."