SOMERSET Council has been urged to use a special pot of pothole money to repair a Watchet road where two elderly residents were hospitalised after suffering falls.

Local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said the Government gave the council £3.5 million just for road repairs after reallocating unspent HS2 funds.

Now, he wants it to fix the Whitehall lane which residents believe could be the country’s most potholed section of road.

Residents, including a 101-year-old woman, were outraged the council had not acted after two years of complaints and had even suggested they could fix the potholes themselves.

The council said the lane, leading to the West Somerset mineral line trail, was a public right of way, not a public road.

A spokesman said responsibility for its upkeep was complex ‘and there will need to be a shared approach to maintenance going forward’.

But Mr Liddell-Grainger said the authority should stop ‘nit-picking’ and simply resurface the lane in the interests of public safety, and do it quickly.

He said: “This lane is not just used by local people, it is heavily used by walkers heading for the mineral line trail so needs to be kept in good condition.

“We do not want any more accidents and injuries, especially when this unacceptable situation could be rectified relatively cheaply and there is money in the pot to do so.

“The council should not be arguing about responsibilities.

“It has the money and in the interests of public safety this work should be carried out.”