Worthing Pothole Patrol distances itself from penis graffiti

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A pothole painter has struck again with more crude graffiti, leading to a campaign group's members speaking out to distance themselves from the incidents.

The penis-shaped graffiti, first pictured in Richmond Road in Worthing on March 29, has since been photographed on St Matthews Road and Elizabeth Road in the town.

Images show that a number of the potholes have now been filled in.

The graffiti has led to campaign group Worthing Pothole Patrol speaking out, after multiple enquiries from residents.

The group, led by ex-councillor Martin McCabe and town crier Bob Smytherman, said the graffiti reflected mounting public anger over the state of Worthing’s roads, but stressed it did not condone vandalism.

Mr McCabe said: "Residents are rightly fed up.

"While we don’t condone this kind of action, it speaks volumes that people feel driven to highlight potholes in such a visible and visceral way.

"It’s further proof of the crisis we’ve been warning about for months."

The group recently wrote to Councillor Joy Dennis, West Sussex County Council's cabinet member for highways, warning that Worthing’s roads have reached “crisis point”.

Roads identified in particular need of action include Grand Avenue, Penfold Road, George V Avenue, Heene Road and Burlington Road.

Some of the potholes have been filled in (Image: Supplied)

Mr McCabe added: "Residents deserve safe, reliable roads – not endless patchwork repairs and certainly not a situation where frustration boils over like this.

"We’ll continue to hold the council to account until we see meaningful action."

The group said it continued to await a response from the county council.

The recent graffiti follows a similar incident last year, when penis-shaped graffiti was also drawn around a pothole in Portland Road.

The county council announced earlier this month that it was setting aside more than £60 million for highways improvements in 2026 and 2027.

The council previously described the number of potholes reported in recent months as "unusually high", with more than 7,000 identified last month alone.

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