Locals have erected signs welcoming visitors to (Image: Trevor Bates)
Villagers in the Welsh valley of Ceiriog near Wrexham have taken a tongue-in-cheek approach to the problems plaguing their roads, with new bunting and posters welcoming visitors to “.”
Vulnerable locals are being cut off from their carers and taxis, and postmen are refusing to deliver mail due to the rapidly deteriorating quality of local roadways, independent councillor Trevor Bates has warned.
“Never does a day go by without someone complaining to me about the potholes,” Mr Bates told . “There are elderly people living down these narrow tracks that no one else can get to.
“Yesterday, I spoke to a farmer who can’t put hay bales on the back of his tractor because they won’t stay on. I personally broke two strings on my truck in the last two months, and I know that if I wanted to get a taxi back from the pub, I wouldn’t be able to.”
While the pothole problem is by no means contained to Wales or any particular region of the UK, villagers in believe theirs are among the most severe. The remote location of some homes puts them off the radar of Wrexham County Council.
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Frustrated locals have erected signs welcoming drivers to ‘Pothole land’. (Image: Trevor Bates)
Carers and postmen are refusing to risk driving down the damaged roads. (Image: Trevor Bates)
It’s why they have taken drastic measures to direct attention to the dire state of their local area, by erecting signs and bunting around the Valley advertising it as a “Pothole land” theme park.
“Two kilometres of award-winning potholes with very little actual road to spoil your fun,” the signs read. “Guaranteed to be the deepest, longest [and] widest potholes in Wales.”
Another poster points the finger of blame at Wrexham Council for “providing this free-of-charge attraction”, though Cllr Bates places the blame firmly at the feet of the UK government.
Describing the local potholes as “horrendous”, he added: “Westminster have announced a big pothole fund, but we don’t know how that’s going to filter down to Wales. The major A and B-roads are usually the first to get new funding.
“It leads to these smaller and more dangerous roads being ignored, and people have to get creative to get attention. I’m not confident that this will mean the valley’s potholes actually get filled in, but we live in hope.”
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The villagers blame Wrexham County Council for the ‘attraction’. (Image: Trevor Bates)
A damning report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that the government had “not taken responsibility” for the country’s crumbling road infrastructure this week.
The PAC estimated that filling pothole-ridden roads around England and Wales would total around £16.3 billion.
It came after the AA revealed that the cost of repairing vehicles damaged by potholes hit an all-time high in 2024, with costs ballooning to £579 million, over £1 million more than the previous year.
The government responded to the report by reiterating its pledge to invest £1.6 billion into road repairs this year, funding the filling of around seven million more potholes.
“Road users are rightly frustrated by patchwork repairs, so we are also committed to multi-year funding settlements to enable councils to better maintain their road networks and avoid potholes forming in the first place,” a Department for Transport spokesperson said.
The Express has contacted Wrexham County Council for comment.