Drivers warned to 'remove dentures' because of potholes

John Burton said it was his idea to erect the sign

Residents who live on a rural road in Carmarthenshire have erected a humorous sign after having enough of ruining their cars with potholes.

After complaining to Carmarthenshire council, residents decided it was their way or the highway.

The sign warns drivers to "remove their dentures", "adjust their bra straps" and "secure their nuts" before using the road.

A spokesperson for Carmarthenshire council said the number of roads the council would like to resurface "far outstrips the budget available".

Five households signed a letter to the council to ask them to resurface the road.

John Burton, 68, who lives on Abergorlech Road near the hamlet of Horeb, Carmarthenshire said: "This has been ongoing for years. I have been living here for 12 or 13 years."

He said the households had complained to the council repeatedly but the road had "continued to deteriorate".

"It has suffered from a lack of maintenance over many years, probably at least 40 according to my neighbours.

He said because of cut back the road maintenance was stopped six years ago and since then it had "deteriorated significantly".

He said the gullies were not cleaned out meaning water ran down the road and froze in the winter, cracking the road further.

When the residents complained, the council respond quickly but not to the expected standard of the residents.

Mr Burton said the council sent a worker every time they complained to fill the biggest potholes with tar, but then they "drive off as if the job is done, actually leaving significant holes elsewhere and no real maintenance".

"The council are just trying to put off the evil day of having to deal with the road properly," he said.

After writing a letter to the chief executive of the council and getting their local councillor involved, the residents decided to take matters into their own hands.

Mr Burton decided to create and erect the sign.

"There are a lot more roads in Carmarthenshire that are as bad," he said.

"We thought humour was the way to bring attention to this issue."

Mark Thomas, 48, described the potholes as "disgraceful".

"They are like the old horse and cart days. It would be quicker for me to go to work through people's fields, and safer," he said.

"There's nothing been done here for 12 years, other than a few potholes."

In a joint statement, the residents said: "Whilst the sign is intended to be funny the constant wear and tear on our vehicles is a real issue.

"This is another example of the discrimination that rural residents face as no urban road would be allowed to degrade to this extent. The council has a legal duty under the provisions of The Highway's Act to maintain all roads.

"It is not unreasonable to ask that we have a road that has a safe surface for motor vehicles and bicycles. It is somewhat ironic that the police can check our vehicle to ensure that they are safe for the road but no one is ensuring that the road is safe for our vehicles."

Cabinet member for transport, waste and infrastructure services, councillor Edward Thomas said the council undertook scheduled highway safety inspections of all roads including this rural road in the Llanfynydd area.