A disgruntled driver has taken an innovative approach to highlight the issue of potholes in her community by producing a humorous Baywatch-themed video aimed at shaming the local council.
Julia Roberts, donning a full lifeguard outfit, utilized slow-motion effects in her comedic video to poke fun at the waterlogged streets in her area.
In the video, Julia is seen running along a rural road in Buckinghamshire, dressed in a red swimsuit and cap, while carrying a red lifeguard buoy.
The road is riddled with large potholes, and loose gravel is scattered across the surface, evidence of subpar repair efforts.
The video then shows her, in slow motion, dashing through a massive muddy puddle, still clad in her swim attire and white sneakers.
In the closing scene, Julia humorously climbs a ladder positioned in the middle of the puddle, pretending to search for swimmers in distress.
The clip, called Road Watch, is captioned: ‘Keeping our flooded and crater strewn roads safe, one road at a time!’
But this was just one in a series of videos uploaded to Julia’s social media in her campaign against the potholes, which has amassed millions of views across platforms.
Julia Roberts wore a full lifeguard outfit to shame the council over the terrible state of the roads
She ran down the road, like they run down the beach on Baywatch, to mock the puddles that collect in the holes
Julia also splashed through an enormous puddle in her white trainers
She climbed a ladder and pretended to scout for struggling swimmers
In another, she sits over a pothole with a fishing hook after apparently catching a fish, while joking: ‘Absolutely loving the chance of trialing these wonderful local authority reoccurring fishing lakes.’
She also wears a helmet, high vis jacket and rope in another sketch – then a wetsuit with snorkel as she appears to dive into a pothole.
But beneath the comedy, Julia is delivering a serious message.
The professional presenter, who works with a classic car seller firm, writes: ‘I am using humour to highlight a very serious problem with our roads, but please do not think I am not working to try and make a difference going forward. This is only the beginning.’
Julia has an interest in the state of Britain’s road as she is a keen motorist, even founding a club, the Coterie Lifestyle Club, to bring likeminded people together.
She warned in another video that the roads are a matter of ‘life and death’ – not just for car users, but also for motorcyclists like herself.
She said: ‘I’m taking my life in my own hands. These roads are dangerous and not fit for purpose.’
In another video, Julia pretended to fish from the pothole to emphasise its size
She also points bemoans that many of the repairs are ineffective, crumbling a short time later, and therefore a waste of money
Elsewhere, Julia highlights how woefully inadequate some repair jobs are, leaving mounds of loose gravel that are supposed to be filling holes.
She said: ‘All I’m trying to do is highlight that these repairs don’t work. It’s a waste of money. Take a look at this road – some have been patched, but they’ve missed others.’
Julia said some repairs last a few weeks – only to disintegrate and cause paint damage or worse.
Thomas Broom, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Transport, told the Daily Mail: ‘We completely understand the frustrations felt by residents about potholes. As is evident in these videos, we have seen what the Met Office has confirmed as one the wettest Januarys on record.
‘The whole country is seeing a rapid increase in defects emerging and escalating as a result of the persistent rain and freezing temperatures. Prolonged saturation weakens the road surface and sub‑surface layers, meaning defects can form very quickly, particularly on roads that have had previous repairs or utility works.
‘We are working round the clock, having increased the number of repair crews on the network by 50%, prioritising emergencies and urgent safety critical repairs. We have already completed 2,000 urgent repairs this year, that’s a defect repaired every 20 minutes, 24/7 in January.
‘Residents should be aware that a permanent fix is often very difficult in wet and cold conditions, with more expensive repairs likely to fail just as quickly as temporary fixes. That’s why residents will see a lot of temporary repairs until weather allows for a more long-lasting repair, when it will last.
‘Despite the government cutting £44.5 million of funding from Buckinghamshire, we are delivering on our commitment to a £120 million road programme, focussing on long term investment in the network.
‘The budget currently being proposed includes a 17% uplift in capital funding for roads, giving us the resource we need to increase resurfacing works. We will deliver 220 capital resurfacing schemes this financial year and are planning to ramp that up to 270 schemes next year.’
