A Netherfield street likened by residents to the surface of the moon is to be resurfaced after being added to Nottinghamshire County Council’s £11.2 million “Worst First” roads programme.
Godfrey Street has deteriorated over several years, with potholes spread along its full length. Residents have repeatedly reported the damage to the county council, but say they were often told individual potholes were not deep enough to meet repair criteria.
The condition of the road attracted wider attention earlier this year. In February, painted profanities appeared around some of the worst sections of damage. The following month, an anonymous resident put up signs warning drivers about “craters” and sarcastically describing the street as a “NASA testing area”.
The whole length of Godfrey Street is now set to be resurfaced, with the work expected to cost between £100,000 and £150,000.
County councillor Mike Adams, who represents the area on Nottinghamshire County Council, said Godfrey Street was one of three roads he put forward for priority work.
He said: “I thought the residents did really well with their campaigning, the lobbying, keeping it in the news – the signs got quite a lot of notice.
“I’ve driven down that road – it’s horrendous. I’ve taken the head of Via, Nottinghamshire County Council’s highways company, down there.
“It probably started to really deteriorate about 18 months ago, then in the last year it’s just got worse and worse. Every journey going over it, the more damage happens to it.”
Resident Nikki Love, 59, who has lived on the street for seven years, said she had been complaining about the road for two years and had written several times to Gedling MP Michael Payne.
She said: “It’s about time. There’s been some action before – they came and filled one pothole and sent a letter saying ‘we’ve finished our work, I hope you’re happy with it’. The second time they filled in potholes, but not very well.
“It’s not good for wear and tear on the cars. West Bridgford roads are so much better. People complain over there and things get done.”
Darren, 55, who has lived on Godfrey Street for 33 years, said: “When Arnold wants something doing, or one of these more affluent areas wants something doing, they get it done.
“With us they just threw a bunch of tarmac in. I always think it looks like chewing gum thrown down the street. They are not even filling them right.
“I’ll be happy when they do something about it. Until then, it’s all smoke and mirrors to me.”
Gedling Borough councillor Alison Hunt said she was “absolutely delighted” the road had been included, but added the work was “long overdue”.
She said: “Historically, roads in Gedling borough seem to be worse than anywhere else in the county.
“What annoys me about this is people in Netherfield can be the least able to afford repairing their cars – the area is a deprived area. If you’ve got a hospital appointment and you come out to your car and you’ve got a flat tyre, it has a devastating effect.”
Cllr Hunt said many streets in the area have old cobblestones underneath modern tarmac, which can affect how damage develops. She added: “When things are resurfaced or potholes are reported, they have to be a certain depth to qualify. In Godfrey Street, because a lot of them don’t meet the criteria, they’re not deep enough, they didn’t get on a list.”
The county council has now published a list of 44 road sites across Nottinghamshire to be resurfaced or surface dressed as part of the £11.2 million programme.
Each county councillor was able to submit three roads in their area for consideration. More than 150 requests were put forward before highways officers narrowed the list to 44 sites considered suitable for full resurfacing or surface dressing.
The “Worst First” scheme forms part of Nottinghamshire County Council’s wider highways capital programme, which will see more than £181 million spent on roads in 2026/27.
Council leader Mick Barton said on Thursday, June 18: “It’s brilliant stuff. All three priority roads by each councillor will be addressed in some way or another.
“The ones that haven’t made this scheme for resurfacing or surface dressing will still get maintained in some way by JCB patch repairs or the first-time crews.”
Cllr Barton said the 44 priority schemes would be completed by the end of the year.