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Villagers who had been trying to fix a pothole for six months were left behind after discovering that a mysterious prankster had planted a Christmas tree there.
Weary residents of Elliot Drive, Inkersall, Derbyshire, decorated the bright orange barriers around a pothole with festive decorations in a bid to make their voices heard.
The area was severed by workmen after the gaping hole appeared near a drain – but so far no progress has been made to repair the road.
Now, a mysterious resident has decided to poke fun at the situation by decorating the fences with tinsel and placing a Christmas tree inside.
No one has come forward to admit he was behind the festive prank – which has left motorists and passing residents in stitches.
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Father-of-two David Griffiths, 48, a software developer, lives next to the newly decorated roadworks and said locals have even added baubles to the tree.
He said: “We have no idea who did it, but we think it’s awesome.”
“We got up on Wednesday for work and to run to school and there was only a Christmas tree in the middle of the roadworks.
“We couldn’t believe our eyes.
“People even added balls to it, so it became a bit of a community-wide effort.
“Hopefully this will spur the water company or council to act to fix the hole now. He’s been there for five or six months and no one has done anything about it.
“There are two manholes going lower and lower and the hole is getting deeper so definitely needs to be sorted.
“But everyone thinks the new tree is brilliant. It certainly made us laugh a little.
Dad-of-two Frasier Kennedy, 41, from Inkersall, noticed the festive tree in the unusual location as he drove to work on Wednesday.
He said: “I thought it was great. This hole has been driving us crazy for months, but now you can’t help but laugh when you pass it.
“I hope they finally do something now, because the time it took is ridiculous.”
“It was summer when the hole appeared and now there’s a Christmas tree in it, so it just shows how long we’ve been waiting.”
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