‘Penis potholes’ protest prompts patch-overs

Potholes have been filled in just days after penis graffiti was sprayed around them.

Middlesbrough Council responded quickly to the spray-painted phallic symbols, which had been drawn round several potholes in the area.

Pictures of the graffiti were shared on Facebook, with one resident, Brad Nicholson, posting a picture of the filled-in holes and the caption "The power of the willy".

A spokesperson for Middlesbrough Council told the BBC: "Middlesbrough, like all local authority areas in the country, has issues with potholes and repairs are carried out on a priority basis determined by the risk they pose to highway users.

"Currently, however, we are carrying out pre-planned works in the Acklam area and staff were able to visit the nearby site on Fane Grove when the matter was reported to us and have patched over the holes."

Residents had complained that the potholes had been there for more than a year.