A PARISH council on the Blackdown Hills has started a programme to fill in some of its own potholes because it was fed up waiting for county highways staff to do it.

The pioneering project has been launched in Clayhidon, where the parish council employs its own ‘lengthsman’ Chris Houghton to carry out small maintenance tasks.

Parish council chairman Cllr Alison Weekes said Mr Houghton had been asked to fill in some of the hundreds of potholes on local roads.

She said Devon County Council could not meet demand across the county to do all the work.

However, Mr Houghton, who had received relevant training, was only allowed to fill in ‘the smaller ones’ and the county council would still repair larger potholes.

Cllr Weekes said the parish council had been given some pots of tarmac and should be able to obtain more at reduced rates.

She said: “I hope everybody will be really pleased we have taken this into our own hands.

“Yes, it will cost us a little, and we are already paying through our rates for the work to be done.

“But we take the view that the work is not being done in an efficient manner, and is not likely to be done regularly, and therefore it will be worth it.

“But remember, we are not allowed to fill in the really big ones.”