Crusader draws giant penises around Manchester potholes
A pothole crusader is going around Manchester's roads and drawing giant penises around craters to highlight the problem.
In a nod to Banksy, the man signs off his work as 'W****y' and has a Facebook page dedicated to his 'street art', called W****y Street Artist.
He uploads the pictures with captions like: "Here's a nice long one for you all," and: "All about the Bass."
And his unique approach appears to be working, with many of the potholes receiving the "comedy phallus" treatment being filled in within 48 hours.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the mystery campaigner said: The roads of Manchester are in an appalling state, especially around Bury. I have cyclist friends who have been hospitalised.
"They damage vehicles. Sometimes it's hard to know which pothole caused the damage because there are so many. When I've finished in Ramsbottom, I'll move on to the rest of Manchester."
According to the Mirror, he added: "I wanted to attract attention to the pothole and make it memorable.
"Nothing seemed to do this better than a giant comedy phallus.
"I'm inspired by the alternative style displayed by artists such as Grayson Perry and of course by graffiti artists like Hazer and street artists especially Banksy.
"It has a message that people get, but also has a bit of comedy value. Hopefully mine does too.
"However, unlike these artists I want my work to be destroyed, I like it when it gets dug up and replaced with fresh tarmac."
But Bury council is not so impressed. A spokesman said: "The actions of this individual are not only stupid but incredibly insulting to local residents.
"Has this person, for just one second, considered how families with young children must feel when they are confronted with these obscene symbols as they walk to school? Not only is this vandalism, but it's also counter-productive.
"Every penny that we have to spend cleaning off this graffiti is a penny less that we have to spend on actually repairing the potholes!"
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