RESIDENTS are warning potholes in a busy road near their homes could kill an unwary motorcyclist.

Old House Road in Great Horkesley is pitted with holes, some many inches deep.

Villager John Button, 72, said he and neighbours had been trying for five years to get the road properly repaired, instead of simply patched up.

Mr Button said: “I have never seen such potholes in my life.

“I know they keep pleading they don’t have any money, but it has to have something done with it.

“A bike or motorbike will hit one of those and the rider could die. They won’t see it in the dark.

“I have seen some big holes in my road but nothing gets done here at all.

“It has been patched and patched and patched, but it does not work.

Villagers have asked borough and county councillors to put press Essex County Council for proper repairs.

The problem is made worse by the amount of traffic using the road as a short-cut to avoid jams.

Mr Button added: “This is one of the busiest rat-runs in Colchester with people trying to avoid North Station, especially during rush hour. It’s a narrow country lane, used by heavy goods vehicles.

“Sat navs seem to send them down here. That could be part of the problem, so I think the road should have a weight restriction.”

Tracey Chapman, county councillor responsible for highways, said: “Our team carries out regular inspections of the network as well as inspections of roads when problems are reported.

“We assesses all potholes under safety monitoring guidelines and they are prioritised according to their level of severity.

“The council has to prioritise work on defects which present the most immediate safety risk.”