VILLAGERS say a major road fed by a recently-opened £37m bypass has fallen into a “horrendous” state of repair and is blighting their lives.

Householders in Patrick Brompton, on the A684 Wensleydale road fear their appeals to fill potholes are falling on deaf ears after being told the road’s condition does not meet criteria for repairs.

Charles Ropner said:”We live right in the middle of the village and the potholes catch lorries going down the dale and lorries going up the dale, which makes for an unholy row right in the middle of the village.

“The worst offenders are the empty aggregate wagons and the cattle wagons which are made of aluminium as they rattle ferociously. With the dale producing both aggregate and livestock this is a growing problem and nuisance.

“The highways authority has patched the road extremely badly and the repairs are proud of the road which makes the traffic even louder.

“What is really annoying is £37m being spent on the Bedale bypass just a few miles down the road, and then a wreck of a road in the village, it’s like a third world country.”

Richmondshire district councillor Richard Ormston described the situation facing residents as “horrendous”.

He added: “For drivers and cyclists, the road is in a terrible state. I don’t know how people sleep after 5.30 in the morning, because the noise is so bad. I have lived here 59 years, and the road has never been in this state before.”

Earlier this year the county council said it had spent more than ever before on potholes and resurfacing roads, carrying out work on more than 400 miles of the county’s highways and spending £12.5m. But there are currently no plans to do work at Patrick Brompton.

A council spokesman said: “We are aware of some deterioration of the road surface in Patrick Brompton, but currently it does not meet the criteria for a permanent repair.

“Funding for routine maintenance must cover the largest road network of any authority in the country, and is restricted. However, we will continue to monitor the road to ensure it remains in a safe condition.

“The long-awaited Bedale bypass was built to ease congestion by reducing traffic through Bedale, Leeming Bar and Aiskew by half from approximately 14,000 vehicles a day.”