Dachshund dog goes swimming in UK's oldest pothole measuring a whopping 9ft long

This is the hilarious moment a dog paddles through a 9ft pothole, as a fed-up resident threatens to bring in 'gnomes with fishing rods' if the council doesn't fix it soon. Locals have branded the 24-year-old crater "ridiculous" and say it is becoming a landmark in its own right. David Neale, who is clerk of works for Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, said he will get 'gnomes with fishing rods' to turn it into an attraction, unless the council takes action. The pothole was first spotted in 2000 after an infected tree was felled and the roots dug out.

Crater is a trip hazard...council need to fix it

Mr Neale said: “Back in the mists of time I spoke to a councillor about it, and the council must know it’s here. I’ve recently brought it up again, so hopefully something might be done - it’s a trip hazard."

Despite repeated appeals to have the hole repaired, it has remained unfilled and is now a whopping 9ft long. It's located outside the church where William Shakespeare was baptised and later buried.

Pothole is permanently submerged in winter

The retired builder added: “No fish have been found in its depths but it’s accommodated plenty of ducks.

“In winter it acts as a soakaway, and is permanently submerged with water. In summer it is a big dry pothole attracting rubbish because the road sweeper can’t reach into it. I was amazed to read that the council had paid out £78,000 for pothole damage when to repair potholes isn’t costly - even to repair this one would be less than a day’s work. The cost of tarmac is negligible if you’re going to do a lot of them, ten ton of tarmac is only about £500."

Motorists say 9ft pothole is a serious safety issue

Motorists have also expressed frustration that the pothole has not been fixed. Andrew Howell, 50, said: “It’s a bit of a town joke having the country’s oldest pothole but there is a serious safety issue here.

“I’ve seen cars swerve to avoid it and come close to hitting other vehicles. In the winter it’s more like a pond while in the summer it’s a dust bowl. It’s ridiculous that no one has filled it in yet considering it’s been there for almost a quarter-of-a-century."