Mansfield MP’s plea after woman who fell into pothole dies

An MP has called for repairs to roads in Nottinghamshire following the death of a woman who fell into a pothole.

Steve Yemm, Labour MP for Mansfield, spoke in the House of Commons on Wednesday, where he paid tribute to his constituent Beryl Barrett, who he said “tragically fell into an unrepaired pothole” in Warsop.

Barrett died on Christmas Day and Yemm gave his condolences, before calling on the county council to fix the area’s roads.

Councillor Bert Bingham, cabinet member for transport and environment at the authority, said his thoughts were with Barrett’s family, but said “we do not feel that it is appropriate to comment further until any relevant investigations have taken place”.

Speaking during Prime Minister’s Questions, Yemm said: “Sadly, on Christmas Day, my constituent, Beryl Barrett, passed away after tragically falling into an unrepaired pothole, and I’m sure the whole House will wish to share my condolences with the family.

“In my constituency of Mansfield, there are literally thousands of potholes in our roads which Nottinghamshire County Council are failing to repair.

“Does the prime minister agree with me that it’s time the council took action to repair our roads and will he meet with Beryl’s family so that we can work together to ensure that no more accidents like this happen again?”

Sir Keir Starmer responded to the question, offering his “deepest sympathies” to Barrett’s family.

“I will make sure the roads minister meets the family at the earliest opportunity,” Sir Keir said.

“It shows why tackling potholes really matters. We are investing £2bn in the East Midlands to fix the roads and improve local transport.

“We are also putting in place tough new standards so that councils must prove they are fixing roads properly.”

Bingham said: “We are deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a resident in Warsop in December, and our thoughts are with their family and friends.

“Any reports of incidents on our highway resulting in injury are taken extremely seriously and are investigated to establish the circumstances in which they occurred.

“In this case, we do not feel that it is appropriate to comment further until any relevant investigations have taken place.”

Warsop Parish Council described Barrett as a “much-loved” member of the community and offered its condolences to her family.

The authority said in a statement that it led a minute’s silence for Barrett at its last meeting, “where a number of residents attended to voice their concerns about the roads in our parish”.

The statement said: “Warsop Parish Council would like to reiterate that it has no legal powers to fund or carry out road repairs, but we will continue to raise residents’ concerns with Nottinghamshire County Council, support discussions regarding potential next steps and advocate for answers and action.

“We will use our voice as a parish council wherever we can to improve safety for our community.”