A Devon councillor said he was left “genuinely shocked” after a motorcyclist sped past him and swerved through a string of deep potholes while he was filming a warning about the state of a busy road.
Cllr Frank Biederman and fellow Devon County councillor Cllr Ed Tyldesley said they witnessed “absolutely scary” driving and overtaking along the pothole-ridden B3232 between Barnstaple and Torrington.
Cllr Biederman, who represents Fremington Rural, was recording a video for Facebook at the side of the road when a motorbike overtook a car at high speed through a series of potholes.
The pair had been inspecting the size of potholes on the B3232 from Roundswell through to Alverdiscott to assess whether they met the criteria for repair by the county council. They said they would also flag up other “dangerous” defects which may not meet the size threshold but are located on blind bends, causing drivers to swerve.
Writing on Facebook, Cllr Biederman said: “Please watch to the end – this genuinely shocked us.
“This afternoon I went out with neighbouring ward member Ed Tyndesly to inspect and report the potholes along the B3232 from Roundswell through to Alverdiscott.
“There’s no doubt the road is in a terrible condition. On some of the tighter bends, drivers are having to swerve to avoid potholes. We will be formally raising this.
“What really surprised us, though, was the speed some vehicles were still travelling at, despite the state of the road.
“In the video, you’ll see a motorbike come through. Riders are particularly vulnerable in these conditions. A pothole that unsettles a car can be catastrophic for a motorcyclist, especially on bends.
“Please slow down and drive to the conditions. These aren’t minor surface defects, they are serious hazards.
“It’s always better to arrive home a few minutes later to your family and friends than not at all.
“Stay safe everyone.”
Cllr Tyldesley, who represents Chumleigh and Landkey, said: “I’ve reported all the potholes we saw, but I can’t believe how fast people drive through them!
“Of course we’re seeing so much damage to cars and burst tyres when drivers are going at such irresponsible speeds!”
Cllr Biederman said the county council was putting an extra £15 million into the 2026/27 budget for repairing potholes and £4 million into highways drainage improvement, gully clearance and other preventative work.
He added that, with decades of underfunding on road repairs, the authority could spend its entire £2 billion annual budget on roads and still not fill all the potholes.
Additional repair crews are being deployed across the county and out-of-hours working is taking place. In Tavistock, in West Devon, repairs have been carried out overnight since the beginning of the month.
Residents commenting on the post also raised concerns about safety.
Justeen Easton said: “We travelled this road last Friday it is appalling, we had to keep going over the lines to avoid damaging the car most of the way and on the way back a car had stopped on a bend to allow us to pass so he could safely go on to the other side of the road. There is going to be a serious accident before long.
“Why can they close the road for weeks for a new housing site and not have carried out essential repairs at the same time.
“Our roads have become so dangerous.
“We pay alot of money every year in road tax and fuel duty.”
Keir Bennett said: “Thank you frank that stretch of road is unreal and do dangerous. Has anyone looked at the condition of the road on roundswell estate for air extreme, mc Donald’s, Bradfords etc. also I’m surprised no one hasn’t had a damaged rim from the drain on the left as you leave the estate.”
Bronwyn Niciecki said: “Thank you for highlighting this! I drive this road many times a day and the number of cars I follow that see a pothole last minute and then swerve to avoid it, often with oncoming traffic coming! I’m surprised there hasn’t been a head on collision yet. Most of these potholes have been reported ages ago already.”
