Self-funded pothole repairs may be set to restart after they sparked anger and had to be removed.

Hilda Biboc and Alexandru Enache spent their own money to repair an uneven alley in Watford, but were forced to undo their work last Wednesday (March 29).

Several homes need to use the alley, between Stanmore Road and Parker Street, off Leavesden Road, to access their parking spaces but potholes have apparently damaged cars.

Watford Borough Council does not own the alley but got involved following neighbours' complaints that the repair attempt made it “virtually impossible” for anyone to walk or drive through after rain on March 23.

Hilda said she is “frustrated” after hundreds of pounds went to waste, but isn’t giving up.

She said: “The road is still bad, although not as bad as it was before as some of the left-over soil has mixed in when we washed it away.

“But it’s not in good condition. It’s very frustrating, the council told us we had to remove everything right away.”

Watford Observer: The alley on Monday (April 3)The alley on Monday (April 3) (Image: Contribution)

Describing the works, a council spokesperson said: “They tried to fix the potholes and put some aggregate into holes and used a whacker plate and then to further level put soil on top.”

“The soil has got wet and was causing a mess.”

Despite the couple claiming they just needed more time to finish, after rain and cars driving over the soil meant they had to order more material, the council confirmed it asked them to clear the alley.

Hilda is still committed to getting the road repaired but says they can’t afford to start from scratch and completely self-fund it again.

Watford Observer: The alley on March 23The alley on March 23 (Image: Contribution)

One neighbour has apparently offered to do the work with them and can source MOT Type 1 filling better suited for the job by mid-April.

They claim others have agreed that the neighbours will need to club together to pay for works.

One neighbour told the Watford Observer the road is much easier to drive down now it has been cleared.

“Residents just need to know how to do it properly if they are going to attempt to repair holes,” he added.

Watford Observer: The alley on March 27The alley on March 27 (Image: Contributions)