There appears to be no definition as to how wide a crevice has to be to be classed as a pothole. A pothole, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is, "A depression or hollow in a road surface caused by wear or subsidence."  Potholes are caused primarily due to water ingress into the road surface which is in turn exacerbated by traffic passing over the affected area breaking it up and creating a hole. There is not even a national standard to define what a pothole is. The Highways Agency, which looks after motorways and major trunk roads, now defines a pothole as a crevice which is at least 1.57 inches deep and 5.9 inches wide. The AA, meanwhile, defines a pothole as having a minimum depth of two inches and a minimum width of six inches – roughly equivalent to a dinner plate. 

But what about holes in the road that are neither deep enough nor wide enough to meet the technical criteria for repair as defined by Lancashire County Council nor are actually on the main road but instead at the side of the road in for example parking bays for car owners in terraced houses which are part of ribbon developments which run alongside the main road as they do through the village of Billington?

County Councillor Alan Schofield, who represents the County Division of Ribble Valley South West in which the village of Billington is located and Ribble Valley Borough Councillor, Ged Mirfin who represents Billington, Brockhall and Old Langho had an opportunity to inspect examples of both in a recent walk along the stretch of road through Billington from the Bridge in Whalley to the mini round-a-bout just past St. Augustine's School.

Councillor Schofield states, "After the expedition I feel like a highway paeleontologisr. We counted 128 potholes of varying shapes and sizes on our journey but I'm sure not all meet the rigorous definition of what constitutes a pothole which is worrying. What this means is that minor potholes have to become much bigger before they meet the criteria for repair. In the meantime the surface of the road continues to deteriorate."

Councillor Schofield continues, "Particularly worrying are what are known as "surface abrasions" a shallow wearing in the road surface which although not very deep can be very wide. These appear to be common at busy road junctions where traffic slows down quickly in order to turn into or out of a main road. There is a good example of such a surface abrasion at the junction of Longworth Road just after/before the Billington Brass Band Club and across the road from the hairpin bend up to Paynter Wood. I will certainly be bidding into the £5million Lancashire County Council Pothole Repair Fund so as to try and urgently address this problem and the other potholes we identified."

Councillor Mirfin states, "My problem is the holes at the edge of the parking bays for the blocks of terraced houses at the side of the main road through the village. These are becoming deeper and deeper with every change of season and bout of bad weather. It's a problem that motorists who park their cars on their driveways won't be familiar with. My worry is that very soon residents won't be able to enter or exit these parking bays without damaging their vehicles. The good news is that Alan will be taking the issue up with the Highways Department of Lancashire County Council so that hopefully they will develop an understanding that the highway actually ends at the kerb and not just the road side."