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| Paint-spraying man in pothole row | Paint-spraying man in pothole row |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| A council has condemned the actions of a spray-painting preacher who used yellow paint to mark potholes on a road in his West Yorkshire home town. | A council has condemned the actions of a spray-painting preacher who used yellow paint to mark potholes on a road in his West Yorkshire home town. |
| Brian Hollingworth, 69, who calls himself "The Yellow Pimpernel", highlighted crumbling road surfaces in Birkby Hall Road, Huddersfield. | Brian Hollingworth, 69, who calls himself "The Yellow Pimpernel", highlighted crumbling road surfaces in Birkby Hall Road, Huddersfield. |
| Workmen fixed the road but Kirklees Council said repairs were already underway in the street. | Workmen fixed the road but Kirklees Council said repairs were already underway in the street. |
| It said roadworks were not influenced by "guerrilla actions". | It said roadworks were not influenced by "guerrilla actions". |
| Mr Hollingworth said he decided to take direct action to highlight the dangerous road surface as it was causing problems for his Rover Metro. | Mr Hollingworth said he decided to take direct action to highlight the dangerous road surface as it was causing problems for his Rover Metro. |
| Effectively he is doing graffiti. I condemn the action Martin Bolt, Kirklees Council href="/1/hi/talking_point/6426055.stm">Are your roads in disrepair? | |
| He used four cans of paint and spent three nights marking the trouble spots on the half-mile stretch of road. | He used four cans of paint and spent three nights marking the trouble spots on the half-mile stretch of road. |
| Mr Hollingworth, a preacher at Rishworth Congregational Church in Calderdale, said: "I was driving my beloved Metro backwards and forwards and I felt the bumps more and more. | Mr Hollingworth, a preacher at Rishworth Congregational Church in Calderdale, said: "I was driving my beloved Metro backwards and forwards and I felt the bumps more and more. |
| "I thought to myself 'someone ought to do something about these holes in the road' but that someone never turns up. | "I thought to myself 'someone ought to do something about these holes in the road' but that someone never turns up. |
| "So I thought 'that someone has got to be me'." | "So I thought 'that someone has got to be me'." |
| But Martin Bolt, cabinet member responsible for highways at Kirklees Council, said Mr Hollingworth's actions had not influenced the authority. | But Martin Bolt, cabinet member responsible for highways at Kirklees Council, said Mr Hollingworth's actions had not influenced the authority. |
| "It's more coincidence than coercion," he said. | "It's more coincidence than coercion," he said. |
| "The council has a long standing programme of works. These are not influenced by guerrilla actions." | "The council has a long standing programme of works. These are not influenced by guerrilla actions." |
| 'Drastic action' | 'Drastic action' |
| He said a £4m road repair programme was already under way and another £10m investment over five years had just been announced. | He said a £4m road repair programme was already under way and another £10m investment over five years had just been announced. |
| Mr Bolt said as far as he was aware, Mr Hollingworth had not made a report about Birkby Hall Road. | Mr Bolt said as far as he was aware, Mr Hollingworth had not made a report about Birkby Hall Road. |
| He added: "Effectively he is doing graffiti. I condemn the action. | He added: "Effectively he is doing graffiti. I condemn the action. |
| "Anybody stepping into the road spraying is putting themselves and others at risk. There is no reason for people in Kirklees to take such drastic action." | "Anybody stepping into the road spraying is putting themselves and others at risk. There is no reason for people in Kirklees to take such drastic action." |