Gnome and fishing rod draw attention to road 'pond'

Residents of a Gloucestershire village have resorted to humour to highlight a ongoing issue with surface water on a local road near the River Severn. The situation in Epney has been a source of annoyance for locals for about a year, and the waterlogged area is now jokingly referred to as 'Epney Pond'.

Ron Hartell has placed a garden gnome holding a 'Private Fishing' sign on the problematic stretch of road. He wants to inject some humour into what he views as a serious matter.

The sign reads "Private Fishing. Call Ron (The Baliff) Epney Pond". Mr Hartell, who lives in neighbouring Longney but has connections in Epney, says residents have complained a lot in the past year and the frustration is being felt strongly.

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"We call it the village pond as it is near enough across the road, Ron said. Making sure the water is gone is what we want to see as before too long there will be an accident."

"We've all complained over the last year, nothing has been done and we just feel like banging our head against a brick wall."

Gary Wilson, Local Highways Manager for Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We would like to apologise for the delay in resolving this issue. The ditches are the responsibility of the adjacent landowner to clear, however a cabinet was placed in the middle of the ditch by Gigaclear, preventing it from being maintained.

“We asked Gigaclear to move the cabinet, which they have recently done, so we are in communications with the relevant landowners to ensure the ditches are maintained. We understand residents’ concerns over this matter and are doing everything we can to ensure it is resolved as quickly as possible.”

A spokesman for Gigaclear said: "We're pleased to hear the issue is being resolved."