I’m pretty sure that my friend has been in this area for some time. Obviously, I only met them when I first moved here about 15 years ago. During that time, we have formed a close relationship – sometimes a bit too close, and like all friendships we have had fallings out, but more commonly fallings in.

I did move away from Andover for a little while, but when I returned a couple of years later, I was forced to renew a relationship with my old acquaintance. I tried to steer clear, but inevitably, I bumped into them almost immediately, and I now feel guilty that I was, perhaps, a little hostile about this unexpected and unwanted contact. Like many of us after lockdown, they were a little bigger, and as we look forward to rain, frost and perhaps ice, my concerns for both my friend’s condition and our future encounters increased.

Obviously, I have considered helping them myself. I think the treatment would cost about 50 quid, and not take more than half an hour, but I was informed that my proposed action would be illegal.

So, in an effort to help my friend, I contacted the appropriate council department, and I was pleased to discover that they have an online facility to request help for this particular problem. I completed all the necessary forms, and even sent a picture of my friend, to clarify the nature of their problem, and to assist in identifying their location. Test Valley responded quickly to acknowledge my request for help, and told me that ‘they were looking into it'.

Actually, I have noticed that others with the same problem have been helped, in fact the council seem to enjoy performing this task so much that they return on a regular basis to repeat the treatment when the problem inevitably returns.

I’m pleased to say that my friend is a bit better now, (but for how long?). If you have a friend that might need some help, why not follow my example, and ask the council to help, the people to reach out to are the Highways department, and my friend is the pothole outside the school, on the Smannell Road into town.