Man, Tired of Dealing with Potholes in His Town, Gets Officials' Attention with Hilarious Eye-Catching Prank
On Sunday, Feb. 23, James Coxall put a pair of fake legs — outfitted with jeans and a pair of colorful sneakers — in a large puddle created by a pothole on Haverhill Road in the Cambridgeshire village of Castle Camps in England, according to the BBC.
The 41-year-old carpenter told the outlet that he set up the prank after the gaping crater — one of several potholes on the road — remained unrepaired for eight months.
Coxall said that while the road is not busy, drivers would "have to either stop or hit the pothole" if they encountered any oncoming traffic.
Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Fills 'Giant' Potholes Himself, But Officials Say It's an Active Gas Service Trench
Deciding to "have a bit of fun" with the frustrating road situation, Coxall, his wife and kids gathered up some old clothes and rags and turned them into a pair of legs clothed in jeans and shoes.
"The shoes were going to charity anyway, so we thought we'd give them an outing first," Coxall told the BBC. "We stuffed the jeans with old rags and I used some wood to keep the legs sturdy and upright."
He placed the legs in the puddle, with the feet sticking up in the air, using a brick to weigh down his creation. Then, he posted a photo of his prank on the Facebook group, Odd Things Around Cambridge, and another local Haverhill group, quickly earning quite a few likes.
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"It's just a bit of fun, and I've had lots of messages about it," Coxall told the BBC. "People seem to like it around here, but then, I am known as a bit of a joker."
Coxall's eye-catching stunt eventually paid off, as the Cambridgeshire County Council told the outlet one of its highways officers would come out to inspect the road and "repairs will be made as required."
The county also advised residents to utilize its online pothole reporting tool.
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Black America Web
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The Diddy Trial In Pictures
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The Diddy Trial: In Pictures was originally published on 1. The Diddy Trial: In Pictures Source:Getty People react outside federal court as verdicts are announced during Sean Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial at Manhattan Federal Court on July 2, 2025 in New York City. Combs has been acquitted of the most serious charges in his case, but was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. 2. The Diddy Trial: In Pictures Source:Getty A Combs fan wears a pin in support of him while outside the courthouse. The scene outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse for the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial. 3. The Diddy Trial: In Pictures Source:Getty Members of the organization Ultraviolet advocate for survivors outside the Sean Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial at Manhattan Federal Court on June 27, 2025 in New York City. 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