Hole lot of trouble! Council contractor paints white lines over large potholes BEFORE they were filled in

Residents have poked holes in a council contractor's work after they painted over two large road defects before they were filled.

The blunder took place near Wakes Colne on the A1124, which runs between Halstead and Colchester. 

Essex Highways have since confessed that the mistake took place following a 'diary error' which saw its contractor paint the road before resurfacing took place. 

Despite admitting fault, locals are still furious over the matter, with one resident branding the matter as 'mismanaged idiocracy'.

James Joyce, 58, who regularly drives along the route to get to work, dubbed it an 'astonishing waste of money'. 

'Words fail me, I can't think of a suitable superlative for the complete stupidity of this on so many levels by those responsible.'

'So let's spend money on new white lines before we fill in the potholes and sometime previously we'll put new cats eyes in without bothering to remove the old ones.'

He also alleged that the A1124 route had been in 'managed decline', whilst taking another swipe at Essex Highways and the council for the mix-up. 

Locals have hit out at Essex Highways and the county council after contractors painted over potholes before they were filled in

Essex Highways have since confessed that the error took place on the A1124 following a 'diary error' which saw its contractor paint the road before resurfacing took place

The A1124 - a route which mainly runs through the countryside - was at one time a major highway serving Colchester. 

Last December, the government also said the East of England would receive an additional £72 million for pothole as well as payment repairs in 2025. 

However only 36 percent of routes in the region are in a good condition, according to the BBC. 

A spokesman for Essex Highways said it was reviewing how the error in Wakes Colne occurred.

'We understand how this looks and why it has been pointed out, but there is a simple explanation - the lining works in this location progressed ahead of our planned patching works.'

'The road defect is still scheduled for repair, and the markings will be refreshed afterwards.

'We are reviewing how the scheduling was handled with our contractor to hopefully avoid similar issues in the future.'