Sir Rod Stewart filling potholes on his road has prompted a government response

A video has gone viral of Sir Rod Steward filling potholes on a country lane by his house in Essex, but the local council are unimpressed

Rod Stewart filling potholes
(Image credit: Samir Hussein / Contributor / Getty Images)

A viral video of Sir Rod Stewart filling potholes along a road country road near his home in Essex has sparked a government response as the local council warns against this type of action.

In a video on social media, Rod Steward explained that the potholes along this road has been in need of repair "for ages" but that "no-one can be bothered to do it".

The singer was dressed in a black tracksuit and a bright yellow high-vis vest as he explained that he and his group of pals decided to muck in to fix the road.

"This is the state of the road near where I live in Harlow and it's been like this for ages," said the singer. "People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can't go through here at all, so me and the boys thought that we'd come here and do it ourselves."


While this road may not be one of the UK's top scenic routes, it's easy to assume that the council appreciated the quick fix from Rod and his friends filling in the potholes. However, the response from the Essex County Council has been rather negative.

A minister who is responsible for highways maintenance, Lee Scott, told the BBC, "you can't take matters into your own hands." He added, "People must always report potholes to the council and we will fix anything that's dangerous."

He also added that an officer had now been sent to the road to check the repair as there are obvious risks with DIY road repairs. "All road repairs have to be done to a professional level or the person doing it could become liable for any problems or accidents," said the minister.

Rod Stewart

(Image credit: Michael Loccisano / Staff / Getty Images)

Despite the warnings from the local council about this road repair, fans are loving the action taken by Sir Rod and have thanked him for his initiative.

"Legend Rod! That road is a nightmare!!! Appreciate it. 👊🏻" said one commenter. "This guy is amazing.👏👏👏" said another appreciative fan. "🙌🏻You made my life so much better, that Road was the bane of my life!" said yet another fan.

Other commenters also found a cheeky side to this as they joked that Rod should fill in some of the other potholes in the local area.

"Well done Rod. Can you do all the other sh**ty roads in Harlow too that have potholes xxxx," said one commenter. 

Another cheeky fan also added, "Don't hurt yourself I got tickets to see you in June."

Laura Harman

Laura is the Entertainment Editor for woman&home who primarily covers television, film, and celebrity news. Laura loves drinking and eating and can often be found trying to get reservations at London's trendiest restaurants. When she's not wining and dining, Laura can also be found travelling, baking, and hiking with her dog.