Life on ‘Britain’s worst road’ where delivery drivers refuse to go along it
You know it’s bad when you can’t even order a takeaway because delivery drivers won’t come down your street.
That’s what people on the ‘worst road in Britain’ are still contending with one year on from when they first complained about its shocking condition.
Angry locals on the Bel Air Chalet Estate in Essex say potholes that ‘look more like craters’ on Seawick Road still haven’t been fixed since flagging the major damage in January 2023.
They say some repair work was carried out in August but workmen downed tools without finishing the job, leaving behind a ‘terrible’ mess of a street, according to resident Jay Marsh.
‘Part of the road got resurfaced and we were happy that something is finally being done about it,’ said window fitter Jay, 54, who has lived on the estate since 2002.
‘But the excitement ended when they didn’t complete it all. I have déjà vu. We are back at the stage where the road is terrible and I have to worry about the car.
‘The whole estate is fed up, it is really taking a toll on the vehicles and then that takes a toll on your pocket.’
Taxi drivers also refuse to enter the street through fear of ruining their cars and emergency services struggle for access, leaving people feeling at risk, neighbours say.
It’s claimed that vehicles are regularly damaged by having to smash over the bumpy concrete surfaces.
Jay, who has owned a property on the estate for 21 years and moved onto the road in 2022, said it has ’always been bad’.
‘I carry glass in my van and I have to be careful not to smash what I have onboard,’ he said.
‘This is a real business concern for me.
‘It’s not fair really, they used to come over and fill in the potholes but they would wash out in the rain.
‘It’s always been terrible for us, we’re pretty fed up.’
The owner of the local, The Village Inn, previously claimed that customers from three neighbouring caravan sites can no longer get to the pub and that trade has dropped by 40%.
Paul Lucas, who bought the pub with his wife Geraldine in 2017, said: ‘This causes me a lot of stress and it’s so sad for the community. We’ve got loyal customers but they only have so much money.
‘The property company took over the estate and has never contacted me – and I just get the answer phone when I try calling them.’
Warehouse worker Aaron Dwyer has lived on the estate in St Osyth, near Clacton-on-Sea, for several years and he estimates there are more than 100 potholes on just a 150-metre stretch of Seawick Road.
‘I do honestly believe it is the worst road in Britain,’ the 45-year-old said last January.
‘They are more like craters than potholes. It’s like a fairground ride.
‘As soon as my front left wheel goes into one hole my back right wheel is still in another, and it goes on like that all the way.
‘You can’t go faster than walking speed or you’ll hurt your head on the roof of your car because you’re bouncing around so much.
‘It’s an absolute joke. It just makes life a misery.’
A spokesperson for Essex Highways, part of Essex County Council, said: ‘The Bel Air Chalet Estate in St Osyth is made up of private roads and all rights and responsibilities for the maintenance and management of these roads are private.’
Last week, a monster pothole on a main road took down at least seven cars in just one day.
And last year, a protester was so fed up with potholes, they decided to draw rude shapes around them, while one man even offered to take people on tours of a London town’s worst roads.
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