British village overridden on potholes

An English village which decided not to fill in potholes because they helped slow motorists down has been overridden by higher authorities, officials said Thursday.

The parish council in Navestock, southeast England, said holes in the roads acted as a "natural traffic calming" feature, and ignored any repairs that needed doing.

But Essex County Council, which is responsible for maintaining roads in the area, rejected the view and said it would be filling in the village's potholes "as soon as possible."

"This is an interesting idea from Navestock Parish Council," said Norman Hume, the Essex council's transport and highways chief.

"However, the vast majority of Essex residents want to travel on safer, smoother roads which is why it is the policy of Essex County Council to fill all potholes as soon as is practical."

The parish council had argued that filling in pot holes made it easier for drivers to speed through the village.

"It takes a lot of time and resources to chase the county council to maintain the roads around the village," said Navestock parish councillor Richard Folkson.

"Potholes are natural traffic calming. If you fill them in, it just allows people to drive faster down these roads. If they're not filled, they have to slow down."