A YORKSHIRE street with a “giant crater” in it was today named Britain’s bumpiest road.
The unwanted accolade went to Station Road in Leeds which has “a giant crater around a sunken grate”, according to a survey by the Continental Tyres company.
And there was also a place in the Top 10 List Of Shame for a country lane in Huddersfield.
Harrison Lane, which runs from Crosland Hill to Helme, was placed at number 9.
The survey said the Leeds road posed a risk to cars and cyclists and sparked numerous complaints from residents and reports to the local council.
Unfortunate drivers in Lancaster have to contend with two streets which are featured in the top 10 bumpiest routes – Scotforth Road (in seventh place) and Owen Road (tenth).
The second most-bumpy road was Castle Street, near Paisley in Scotland “which is covered with several hundred metres of deep holes and lumps”.
Third was Mill Avenue in Hillingdon, north-west London, “which features dangerous potholes up to half a metre wide.
Fourth was Waldegrave Road in Richmond, south west London, with Grove Park Terrace in Hounslow, west London, fifth.
According to a recent annual local authority road maintenance survey, there are currently more than one million potholes across the country, but there is a shortfall in the budgets needed to fix them of over £1 billion and an 11-year backlog of maintenance work.
Since January 2008 alone, 4,217 new hazards have been reported to pothole campaigning site, FillThatHole.org.uk.
According to Warranty Direct, Britain’s badly maintained roads are costing drivers an average of £2.8 million a year in vehicle repairs.
Roger Sanders, technical expert at Continental Tyres, said today: “Road conditions have a huge effect on the performance and safety of tyres. Impact with pothole edges or sunken grates can cause severe tyre damage which could lead to dangerous blow-outs on the road.
“It is vital that motorists slow down when driving in areas where the road surface is obviously deteriorating to give them time to avoid potholes or lessen the effects of an impact.”
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “Harrison Lane is a country lane with drainage problems and the holes are caused by water.
“We are set to repair the worst patches and the road will be fully surface-dressed next year”.
1) Station Road, Leeds
2. Castle Street, near Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland
3. Mill Avenue, Hillingdon, north-west London
4. Waldegrave Road, Richmond, south-west London
5. Grove Park Terrace, Hounslow, west London
6. Gourock Street, Glasgow
7. Scotforth Road, Lancaster
8. Skid Hill Lane, Warlingham, Surrey
9. Harrison Lane, Meltham
10. Owen Road, Lancaster
Do you know a road with more lumps, bumps and potholes than Harrison Lane? Why not snap a picture on your digital camera and send it in to the Examiner so everyone can see it.
