DEFIANT residents have taken the maintenance of their street into their own hands after waiting more than a year for highways bosses to make much-needed repairs.

Two residents, who live on Courtauld Close in Halstead, got tired of waiting for Essex Highways to fix potholes on their road.

Chris Howard, 55, says residents, who are mostly elderly or disabled, have to swerve to avoid three potholes, which are up to six inches deep.

Mr Howard first reported the potholes to Essex Highways in May last year.

But after waiting more than a year and reporting the issue seven times, he says residents were still waiting for the county council to take action.

Finally, Mr Howard, who is in a wheelchair, and an elderly neighbour decided to repair the road themselves.

After buying their own asphalt, the pair used a homemade wooden levelling tool and say they “simply got on with it”.

Mr Howard says the worst of the potholes were filled and even though they are not perfect, they are much better than before.

He said: “To think it took a pensioner and a guy in a wheelchair to make a temporary repair astounds me.

“However, on the plus side, it will see the road through the immediate future and it will alleviate the risk to some of our elderly neighbours.

“I’m not bothered in the slightest about what people or the council think of my actions.

“It needed doing and I have reported it many times over the past year.

“If Rod Stewart can do it, I’m relieved I was able to do it myself too.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “When a defect is reported to us, we send an inspector out.

"The defect is recorded on our risk register and given a risk factor score.

“Due to our limited resources, we must prioritise our work and fix the higher-risk issues first.

“While we appreciate these residents’ community spirit, we discourage anyone from carrying out work on the roads themselves.

"Without proper traffic management and other specific safety measures, residents are putting themselves and others at risk.”