TripAdvisor lists Billericay potholes as top attraction

A street notorious for its large potholes has become a town's top attraction on TripAdvisor.

The potholes in Jacksons Lane, Billericay, Essex, offer the "thrill of a lifetime" and a "good getaway for the family", reviewers claim.

The craters are categorised as "ancient ruins" and listed as the ninth most popular thing to do in the town.

Essex Highways said road resurfacing was planned for the next financial year, subject to budget approval.

'Teleported to Australia'

Essex Highways said a hole was "made safe" earlier in the week

Tongue-in-cheek, five-star reviews for the visitor attraction claim it is "life changing".

"No need to spend £££ on amusement parks, visit Jacksons Road [sic] Billericay for thrill of a lifetime," said one fan.

"Slaloming, 5D effects all whilst dodging oncoming buses/SUVs and lorries. Brilliant."

Another enthused: "My car happened upon this hole yesterday and I teleported to Australia, free trip during Covid, can't complain, 5 stars."

'Desperate need of repair'

Kaitlyn, who did not wish to give her surname, works at a restaurant on Jacksons Lane, which is a busy residential road.

She said she and her family had found the funny side, but the potholes problem was "never ending".

"Cars have been driving on the opposite side of the road to avoid them, and the amount of times I have seen people swerving last minute and almost hitting other cars - it's quite amazing to watch," she added.

"They got fixed maybe a week or two ago but give it a couple of months and they will be back again."

Google Streetview from November 2020 shows a series of potholes which have since been repaired

Mayor of the Basildon Borough David Dadds said he had been campaigning for more than a year to have the road fully resurfaced.

"I can see the humour behind it, and I think that comes out of frustration; people want to express that and say it is unacceptable, and it is," added the Conservative councillor.

"It is in desperate need to be repaired from top to bottom in a proper and permanent way."

A spokesperson for Essex Highways, run by the Conservative-led county council, said the lane was inspected quarterly and a pothole was made safe earlier in the week.