Could this be the most potholed road in Surrey and Hampshire?

Motorists are being forced to run a gauntlet of hidden hazards on a rural lane on the Surrey-Hampshire border nicknamed Pothole Alley, where villagers claim as many as 40 cars have been damaged in just three months.

The road between Wield and Medstead has deteriorated so badly that residents say they have been left with no option but to install their own warning signs and drop traffic cones into deep craters to prevent further damage.

Wield resident Claire Pay said the potholes now stretch across almost the entire width of the road, leaving drivers with little chance to avoid them.

“The potholes are deep, dangerous and cover almost the entire width of the road,” she said. “When it rains they fill with water, so drivers hit them at full force with no warning.

“One lady hosting her daughter’s wedding had eight guests damage their cars trying to reach the village.

“The road is now so bad that residents have pooled money to buy and install their own warning signs to protect non-locals, and we’ve accumulated traffic cones to drop in the holes. It’s like a slalom course now.”

Villager Rob Cooper said the problems went beyond surface damage, warning that the road itself was beginning to fail.

“It’s not just the potholes,” he said. “The road has no base to it. It’s basically an old cart track with layer upon layer of tarmac on top, so the edges are falling away and it’s dangerous to move to the side to let another car pass.”

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said potholes and road defects identified through routine inspections or reported online were assessed by its highways team.

They said: “We always prioritise issues that are deemed a safety risk, particularly on busier roads.

“It is important to remind people that our highways team looks after more than 5,500 miles of roads and over 4,200 miles of footways across the county.

“Road maintenance continues to be a top priority, and we know it is a key concern for road users. So far this financial year we’ve repaired in excess of 62,000 highway defects, including potholes, investing £55.9 million in Hampshire’s road network.”

Seen worse? Email photos of your area’s worst potholes to [email protected]