A large pothole posed a danger to road users when it was left for more than a week without being repaired.

The pothole, described as being over 1ft deep and stretching at least 2ft into the road, was on the corner of Mount Pleasant Lane and Wildwood Avenue in Bricket Wood.

Sally Horobin, who lives nearby in Rosedale Close, initially reported the pothole, then only small. to Hertfordshire county council on Friday, January 6. When she went to check on it the following week, expecting it to have been coned off, she found the hole had widened into a crater and someone had left an upturned plastic chair in it, presumably as a warning to drivers.

Sally, who is in her 50s and works as an accountant, said: “It was first reported on January 6 but I think it had probably been there a few days before.

“I reported it the day after my husband’s car went over it and it was full of water. Five or six other people also reported it.”

While Sally’s husband’s car was not noticeably damaged by the pothole, she said: “I am not convinced. It’s quite a low car and he can’t see underneath.

“I think he needs to go to the garage and have a look, as we certainly went down it. We knew it was there but it was dark and full of water.”

Sally also contacted Herts Highways to urge them to alert drivers to the hole. She said: “I felt that the very minimum they need to do urgently was to put cones around the hole and put warning signs for people driving towards it.”

The pothole was filled in by the council over the weekend.

Sandy Walkington, county councillor for St Albans South, said: “This is yet another example of our failing highways service.

“The Liberal Democrats keep pushing for more money to be spent on highways and less on vanity projects like council magazines.

“It’s time that local residents get the highways they pay for.”

* The government has allocated funding to local councils to improve road safety.

The £1.2 billion funding will be used to repair potholes, cut congestion and improve road safety and journey times. It includes money from the new National Productivity Investment Fund, the Pothole Action Fund and £75 million which councils can bid for to repair and maintain local infrastructure such as bridges, rural roads and street lighting.

Hertfordshire has been allocated 20,692,000 in total for 2017/2018.

The Department for Transport (DfT),in partnership with Thurrock and York councils, is also beginning a trial of a pothole-spotter system to identify potential future potholes.

High-definition cameras will be mounted to refuse collection vehicles, along with a navigation system and software, with the aim of spotting road surface problems before they become potholes.

Transport Minister Andrew Jones said: “Roads play a significant part in everyday life linking people with jobs and businesses with customers, which is why this government is investing record amounts improving and maintaining highways across the country to help motorists.

“The funding we have allocated is focused on relieving congestion and providing important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future - helping to build an economy that works for everyone.”