‘Guerilla gardeners’ plant flowers in Bath’s potholes to warn cyclists of crater dangers

A group of residents in Bath have begun a very peaceful protest by filling in the city’s potholes with beautiful flowers.

The unsightly craters have been causing havoc for road users, whose cars are being left damaged as a result of driving right into them.

However, the holes are also proving dangerous to cyclists and the so-called ‘guerilla gardeners’ are hoping their actions will not only look nice, but also prevent countless accidents.

One of the campaigners in the Somerset spa town, who asked to remain anonymous, explained: “We’ve been going around filling different potholes.

“In an area of America there were a load of potholes filled in with pot plants although that’s not what we are doing here.

“We think it’s a good thing to do but it’s more than about making people smile.

“Potholes are a real problem and have the potential to be death traps for bikers and cyclists and with cars there is an issue with blow-outs to wheels.

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“The whole point is to raise awareness of them.”

The two men behind the flowery movement – a cyclist and motorist living in the city – say thousands of unsightly potholes remain despite Bath and North East Somerset Council receiving a £4.4 million grant to repair potholes in January.

So far, the pair have planted pansies on streets in the Larkhall and Camden areas of the historic city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Holes on St James’ Square and the iconic Lansdown Road, known for its honey-coloured Georgian properties, have also been covered.

The campaigner added: “We started off with the potholes we know about, ones which were close to our homes and then we’ve just been driving around.

“Pretty much what happens is the flowers are destroyed almost straight away – they get run over.

“But we are going to go to some different areas to raise more awareness.”

He added: “It is a serious matter. We want to make them look nice so people take notice and possibly get involved themselves.”

Bath MP Ben Howlett said earlier this year: “The state of our roads is consistently raised with me by local residents and remains a great source of frustration for drivers.”

Top pic: SWNS