A Kingsbridge taxi owner is concerned at the increasing number of potholes around the South Hams.

Steven Harvey who owns One 2 One taxis in Kingsbridge says thinks have been getting much worse over the last couple of years. He told us “They’;re more like craters than potholes. The road from Kingsbridge to the A38 via Loddiswell is especially bad.

The roads need major work but I suppose it’s a question of where the money’s coming from.”

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: “The current cycle of prolonged freezing weather followed by very wet spells is the worst possible combination for our roads and it is having a negative impact on the condition of our 8,000 mile highway network. Already this month we have recorded over 4,150 potholes, which is more than the whole of January last year.

“The current cold spell also requires some of our teams to divide their time between carrying out road repairs and driving gritting lorries, but we are doing all we can to maintain the network in the best possible condition to keep Devon moving.

“Anyone who comes across a non-emergency problem on the network can report it at devon.gov.uk/roadsandtransport/report-a-problem/ However, we would ask that you check the online map first to ensure you’re not duplicating a previous report as this will slow down response times.”

Potholes are bowl-shaped depressions in the road surface where the surface layer, usually asphalt, has developed cracks then broken away under the action of traffic, creating a hole with rough vertical sides. They may begin with small cracks but can expand from just a few centimetres to up to a metre wide and 10 or more centimetres deep. Potholes can occur in all road types, but are a problem particularly associated with asphalt surfacing.

The word ‘pot’ was used in late 14th century English and is still in use in Scotland and Northern England to mean a deep hole for a mine or cave. The term ‘pothole’ was in use from 1826 to describe geological features in glaciers and rocks and then from 1909, as we use it today to describe a hole in the road.

Potholes are a cause of serious accidents. The danger to cyclists and motorcyclists is an obvious one. According to Department for Transport statistics, in the ten -year period up to 2021 there were a total 7847 casualties, including, 452 cyclists and 725 motorcyclists killed or seriously injured, in accidents where the primary cause was ‘poor or defective road surface’. In addition, an even greater number of accidents to both road users and pedestrians result from drivers swerving to avoid potholes.