I've saved council £100k by fixing potholes

ATRADESMAN fed up with waiting for potholes to be repaired says he has fixed 570 himself, free of charge - saving taxpayers over £100,000 and a lot of agony on the roads.

- Lauren Beavis

Scaffolder Dermot McGeough, 43, who serves as a Conservative county councillor for Northam, Devon, set out on his mission when he was elected four years ago.

He started out by cleaning road signs, as the council could not afford to pay someone to do it, but he claims he met resistance.

Dermot said: "The council said I had to stop that work or they would take me to court - because I wasn't 'qualified to clean a sign'.

"So I got the qualification I needed, then went straight back out cleaning them."