As a resident of Caithness, the most northerly part of the British mainland, Jenny Paterson has access to unspoilt wilderness, dramatic seascapes and spectacular sightings of the aurora borealis.
Yet at a more mundane level, the scourge of potholes respects no boundaries, and so the 75-year-old decided to fill in the accident-inducing eyesores outside her home by herself, with the help of a neighbour and some gardening equipment.
Paterson describes a “12ft long crater” outside her house, on the main street in the village of Halkirk, the result of some digging work that had never been resurfaced, as well as other lumps and bumps.
“It’s the water that collects there that’s annoying me,” she told BBC Radio Scotland. “The outside wall of my house is quite damp and I’m not a structural engineer but I’m wondering if that’s part of the problem.”
She began clearing the gully outside her house, which regularly fills up with debris and earth, then decided to use what she had cleared to fill in the holes.
Paterson used a rake, spade, bucket and shovel and spent three-and-a-half hours levelling an uneven section of road surface.
“My lovely neighbour, Jen MacDonald, next door helped me and the two of us tackled it together – we take pride in our surroundings as does Halkirk as a whole. It’s a beautiful village but Caithness council’s not very interested in us I feel. So it’s up to us.
“We both got slightly carried away at that stage and tried to level out the area to keep the water away.”
Paterson undertook the resurfacing project against doctor’s orders. “I had some surgery two months ago and I was told not to lift things,” she admitted, “but I’m fine and I’m not a person to sit around and do nothing anyway.”
Paterson said the state of the roads in the local area was “disgraceful”. “It’s a beautiful little village with a great community council but unfortunately all the roads desperately need doing.
“I can’t fill in every pothole so I filled in mine.”
A Highland council spokesperson said: “Whilst the council appreciates the concerns around pothole repairs, it is not appropriate for individuals to undertake repairs on the public highway.
“This raises health and safety concerns for the individuals involved and potentially invalidates the council’s insurance should any claims be made. The service is doing all it can to carry out repairs as timeously as possible with the resources available. Potholes or other defects can be reported to the council using the online ‘report a problem’ form.”
