The competition to find the biggest pothole in the Alton area is hotting up with the discovery of a massive trench on the edge of Selborne.

Jenny Reynolds and her neighbours in Goslings Croft regularly help drivers in distress as theirs is the nearest road for them to limp into after hitting it.

Jenny said: “There is a crater on the B3006 at the approach to Selborne from Alton which has taken out at least 32 cars in the last fortnight that we know of - often ruining two tyres.

“It is now well known in the village, and has been refilled several times - very badly, so it just opens up and gets worse with each downpour.

“People are in danger of plunging into it, especially when it fills with rainwater and in the dark, making it almost impossible to see. It is right beside the 30mph limit sign.

“It is going to cause a bad accident when somebody swerves to avoid it, or when they hit it and are pushed into oncoming traffic.”

There is better news from Wield, where the Herald highlighted ‘Pothole Alley’ on the Wield to Medstead road on January 29.

Philip Pullinger, of Sycamore Cottages in Upper Wield, said: “The chief engineer for Hampshire Highways East saw the article and promptly sent a road repair crew to the site on February 2 to do a temporary fix.

“They have advised that a Dragon Patcher has been ordered, and should arrive in the not too distant future, to help seal and make the repairs more permanent.

“In reality the road needs a complete rebuild, but I doubt there is the budget available for this.”

The Dragon Patcher repairs potholes by using a hot compressed air system to clean, dry and heat the road surface, allowing hot bitumen emulsion and stone to create a durable instant seal.