'Utterly disgusting' road in Southampton to be repaired

The space at the back of Portswood Road has not been repaired for decades

An "utterly disgusting" road will be repaired after decades of neglect.

Southampton City Council has confirmed it will temporarily clean and resurface the lane at the back of Portswood Road.

The nameless road - which is owned not by the council but by several residents and businesses - has not been repaired for years as its several owners failed to find an agreement.

But last month charity Mencap, which owns offices at the site, called on the authority to step in.

The council has now confirmed that the road will be cleared of fly tipping next week and work to repair the potholes will begin in April.

Deputy council leader Jeremy Moulton said the move would provide residents with "an acceptable environment for the time being".

He confirmed that the council would be able to carry out more work in the future as a policy to deal with so-called unadopted roads is being drafted.

Councillor Jeremy Moulton, Mencap CEO Alex Iles and carer Lisa Stead met at the site last month to discuss the issue

Several residents and businesses along Portswood Road own small parts of the lane and are therefore expected to pay for any work.

But they failed to find an agreement over the years and the council decided to intervene as the state of the road was considered to be "a health and safety matter".

The road has no drainage and no lighting.

The temporary work is expected to cost about £10,000 but the exact cost is yet to be confirmed.

Mencap Southampton - a charity which provides services to people with learning disabilities - said it paid for minor repairs in previous years but it could not afford the cost of major works.

Its chief executive Alex Iles previously called on the city council to help as she said that the state of the road was putting service users off.

Following the latest news she said: "We are really pleased because even a temporary job is better than nothing."

Residents and councillors previously described the road as "dangerous" and "utterly disgusting".