Residents and councillors in Lymington were left in shock after the highway authority closed a pothole-riddled road for repairs – only to paint over the cavities.

Hampshire County Council has painted double yellow lines over potholes on Avenue Road in the seaside town.

The mayor of Lymington, Jack Davies, said he had warned the county council in March that they needed to resurface part of the road before painting it.

In an email to the highway authority shared on Facebook, he said the road surface was ‘atrocious'.

Cllr Davies said: ‘I have no words. Genuinely blows my mind how this has happened.'

A man whose son lives in the town said it was ‘absolute madness' that the potholes had not been repaired, and said the road contained at least half a dozen.

A Hampshire County Council spokesperson said: ‘Road repairs will be taking place in Avenue Road, Lymington, next week and the yellow lines will be replaced over the completed repairs.

‘The original line painting was part of priority road safety work being carried out in the local community.'

This article first appeared on localgov.co.uk.

Image: Jack Davies