CONCERNED residents in Yatton have grouped together to call for their ‘dangerous’ high street to be fixed by North Somerset Council.

The busy road is littered with potholes and villagers fear this could result in a serious accident.

However, the council has revealed it will not repair the road until at least 2013, a decision that resident and campaigner Antony Perry has branded ‘disgusting’.

He said: “I really think somebody is going to get seriously injured or killed. If a cyclist hit a hole and went over his handlebars while a lorry was driving by – it doesn’t bear thinking about.

“It is an accident waiting to happen. The response we are getting is disgusting.

“I know it (the council) has a contingency budget which it could use to repair the road now, like it spent on Clevedon Pier.

“It wouldn’t even arrange for someone to come and have a look at it.”

In an email sent to Mr Perry by the council’s executive member for highways, Elfan Ap Rees, it was revealed the authority had already spent its roads budget for this year.

The email said: “If I had extra money I can assure you that there are roads elsewhere that would receive higher priority, being in a far worse state.

“I therefore must decline your suggestion of using other funds to repair the High Street at this stage as officers disagree with your view of its safety condition.

“The funding for Clevedon Pier was from a separate budget and was necessary as it is listed and we have a legal requirement to maintain it. In fact the Clevedon Pier Society also contributed so it was a cost effective result.

“I cannot make a special case.”

Last week, the authority brought forward a programme of winter pothole patch-ups to be carried out across the district.