Ginormous Stratford pothole outside Holy Trinity Parish Centre has been in place since around 2000.

THE good news this week is that the Holy Trinity Lido is open.

The bad news is that we are joking, and this is yet another pothole story.

Mind you, this is not just a pothole, this is the Big Daddy of all potholes.

The gargantuan beast is estimated to be more than 20 years old and is the size and breadth of one and a half parking spaces. It can be found dangerously lurking by the kerb of Stratford’s Hole-y Trinity Parish Centre, waiting to swallow up unsuspecting passers-by.

It was created around the turn of the millennium when a dying lime tree was removed by the council, which left a gaping hole where its roots had been.

“It is spectacular. No fish have been found in its depths but it’s accommodated plenty of ducks,” said David Neale who first alerted the Herald to its existence. “In winter it acts as a soakaway, and is permanently submerged with water, in summer it is a big dry pothole attracting rubbish because the road sweeper can’t reach into it.”

David is the clerk of works for Holy Trinity, carrying out maintenance and repairs. After reading the Herald’s recent pothole coverage he decided to take action.

“Back in the mists of time I spoke to a councillor about it, and the council must know it’s here. I’ve recently brought it up again, so hopefully something might be done – it is a trip hazard,” said David.

“Otherwise I’m going to get gnomes with fishing rods and turn it into an attraction.”

David is a retired builder and also has some thoughts on Warwickshire County Council’s approach to pothole care: “I was amazed to read in the Herald (14th March) that the council had paid out £78,000 for pothole damage when to repair potholes isn’t costly – even to repair this one would be less than half a day’s work. The cost of tarmac is negligible if you’re going to do a lot of them, a ton of tarmac is only about £500.”

Old Town resident Roger Bliss, whose family have lived there for generations, strolls past and adds some more insight: “It was a row of trees, around 240 years old – this is the black tooth, the missing one.”