Top of the pot charts as highway team's video goes viral (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Top of the pot charts as highway team's video goes viral

10:51am Friday 15th March 2013 in News By Tom Edwards

THE next time you career over a horrific pothole in Tenbury, what have you got, if not a lot (of bills to pay)?

One things for sure, Worcestershire County Council’s highways team are doing it “their way” - and if you’re a Frank Sinatra fan, look away now.

Inspired by the popularity of YouTube, County Hall’s road chiefs have put together an amusing, or perhaps embarrassing, mickey-taking video even ‘Ol Blue Eyes might have chuckled at.

The video features tuxedo-sporting highways boss Jon Fraser, singing his own version of My Way showing how important it is to report potholes across Worcestershire.

It shows him walking down a road singing “complaints, we get a few”, before belting out “we’ll lay each tarmac course, not when it’s wet, but on a dry day,” with Sinatra’s main line changed to “at work in highways”.

The authority say the video was inspired by Torfaen Council in Wales, which used YouTube and a singing Elvis to spread the word about gritting and maintaining roads in the winter.

The county council’s effort took half a day to create and another day to edit, which cost around £800 and was funded by Ringway, Worcestershire’s highways contractor.

Mr Fraser, who won’t be competing on The Voice any time soon, said: “We're grateful to Torfaen Council for the inspiration, and we're really excited about the launch of Worcestershire Highways' own video, At work in Highways, which we hope broadcasts a serious and important message about the value of reporting potholes in an enjoyable way.”

The county council says it is repairing 200 potholes a day at the moment, and has filled in more than 5,000 since January. But the authority says it has 800 miles of roads to maintain across Worcestershire and new potholes are appearing daily.

• 10 alternative songs they could have chosen

Road to Hell - Chris Rea

(Tar)Mack The Knife - Bobby Darin

It’s Only Rock n’ ‘Hole’ But I Like It - The Rolling Stones

Pot-hole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads

Damaged - Damity Kane

Highway to Hell - AC/DC

Keep Us On The Road - Beck

Wreck on the Highway - Bruce Springsteen

Bump N’ Grind - R Kelly