A village blighted by potholes is celebrating long-awaited repairs — thanks to the new Harry Potter television series.
Residents in Lustleigh, Devon, have complained for years about the crumbling roads, even forming a volunteer group to fix the worst potholes themselves.
But it has taken the arrival of a Hollywood production crew to finally get them repaired.
Filming for the upcoming HBO remake of Harry Potter prompted the works after the studio was granted permission by Devon County Council to carry out improvements.
Lustleigh’s parish clerk wrote on Facebook: ‘Good news! The filming company have been given permission by [Devon County Council] Highways to proceed with repairs on Wreyland Path, using an approved contractor.
‘The contractor will fill all large potholes manually and will then assess if further work needs to be carried out. The path will NOT be shut, so it can be used as normal.’
While residents welcomed the news, many questioned why it took a TV crew to do what the council had long ignored.
Andrew Pike said: ‘That’s brilliant news, can fix potholes for filming but not for everyday use. Just proves Devon Highways doesn’t wanna spend any money.’
Residents in Lustleigh, Devon, have complained for years about the crumbling roads, even forming a volunteer group to fix the worst potholes themselves
Filming for the upcoming HBO remake of Harry Potter prompted the works after the studio was granted permission by Devon County Council to carry out improvements
Donna Tandy added: ‘Harry Potter and the potholes… good new book heading.’
The parish council said it would ‘raise the issue’ with the production team.
Filming for the series, codenamed Brown Cat, has been taking place across Devon and Cornwall in recent months and has been described locally as the ‘worst-kept secret’.
Dominic McLaughlin has been cast as the new Harry Potter after being chosen from more than 32,000 hopefuls.
The Daily Mail has approached HBO and Devon County Council for comment.
It comes after residents in east London discovered their homes had been turned into a film set for the series without warning.
Springfield Gardens in Upminster has been transformed into Privet Drive, where the boy wizard grew up, for the HBO remake.
