A self-styled 'vigilante' landscaper who plants flowers in potholes has vowed to continue shining a light on his town's plight, even if the council tells him to stop. Harry Smith-Haggett, 24, began his campaign against West Sussex County Council in June 2024, filming himself 'fixing' Horsham's pothole plague and uploading the videos online. He blamed the local authority for failing to maintain roads, endangering pedestrians and drivers, and quickly found fame on social media.
Creative Protest
'It was winding me up that the potholes near my house hadn't been sorted by the council, they were doing nothing about it,' said Mr Smith-Haggett, a self-employed landscaper and decorator. 'I wanted to do something that was creative, not illegal or permanent. I wanted to do something different - and flowers wash away.' Nearly two years on, and millions of views later, the 24-year-old has amassed a cult following of Brits fed up with the state of roads across the country. According to the latest RAC data published in March, there is at least one million potholes across the UK every year, with an average of six potholes per mile on council-controlled roads in England and Wales.
Local Celebrity
Mr Smith-Haggett has become a local celebrity, with Horsham residents stopping to say 'thank you' and asking for selfies when they recognise him in his neon pink hi-vis vest. Some have even branded him a 'hero'. Known online as Harry Pretty Potholes, he has gone viral for planting flowers in potholes so motorists can see and avoid them. He told the Daily Mail: 'It's taking over my life, I'm putting a lot of time into it but I can't stop.' He does it to protect his community while raising awareness of the poor state of the roads. His videos have angered the council, but he 'doesn't care'.
'I think they're using my videos to see where the potholes are to fill them in because as soon as I plant flowers, they're tarmaced over,' he said. Last month Mr Smith-Haggett filled 50 potholes, nearly 20 of which have since been fixed. He recently planted six flowers on live TV, and the potholes were filled by council workers within hours the same day.
Always Prepared
The 24-year-old is always prepared to tackle the next pothole. In the back of his van are bags of soil and 'colourful' primroses, which he pays for out of his own pocket, in case he spots one while he's out. On at least one occasion he has planted a Christmas tree. 'I go to local garden centres and buy 15 primroses, because they're the most colourful thing out this time of year, for £30 and three bags of soil for £16.50. If one road is bad enough I'll use all 15 in one go.' He pulls up when he sees a pothole and sorts it out, always carrying his equipment with him. He is out every day for hours keeping Horsham's roads safe.
'When I walk into a shop I feel like a local celebrity but I just want to do my bit for the community, for my town. I was in Tesco the other week with a colleague and a worker came up to me and said "it's the pothole hero". It's great.' The comments under his videos speak for themselves. One person said: 'Cars have to be legally fit for the road. The road should have to be legally fit for cars. The council should be sued for any unfit roads.' Another said: 'People in Dubai don't pay tax and they get potholes fixed within an hour. What's wrong with this country and where are our taxes going?' A third wrote: 'Potholes are a major issue up and down the country. The Government needs to start fixing the roads, it's a joke.' A fourth said: 'The roads are awful and dangerous in the UK, especially in London. Local councils are just squandering public money.'
Support and Plans
According to Mr Smith-Haggett: 'It's what the people want because no one likes potholes. Most people seem to like my videos, I get so many messages. People approach me and ask to take pictures with me. And it's important to me because every car I save from an accident is a win.' He has been 'up and down the country' fixing potholes in towns across Britain in his sliders and neon pink hi-vis vest. He has even been visited by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who Mr Smith-Haggett described as a 'sound bloke' and a 'nice geezer'. But the landscaper has no plans to put down his trowel, warning West Sussex County Council: 'If they tell me to stop, I'll go on social media and call them out. I don't care one bit.' He does, however, have bigger ideas. He plans to find 'the worst road in the UK and get hundreds of people in hi-vis' filling potholes in a bid to 'take over the internet for one day' and raise awareness of the 'countrywide problem'.
Council Response
A spokesperson for West Sussex County Council told the Daily Mail: 'We prioritise pothole repairs based on their severity and subsequent safety risk – not on the level of awareness around them. When people report a pothole via our online form, we allocate them a category between one and four, based on severity which determines the timeframe in which they will be fixed. Anyone going onto a live carriageway is putting themselves and others on the road at risk and we strongly discourage anyone from doing so. We ask residents to report potholes via our online form and to leave the repairs to our highways teams. In February we carried out over 3,700 pothole repairs across the county and we have allocated £60.7million for maintaining and improving the county's 2,500 miles of highways in 2026–27. This continues the council's substantial investment in the road network, with £273.6million spent over the past five years.'
Potholes in Figures
In December 2024 the Government announced £1.6billion in funding to tackle the UK's pothole plague. However last year 26,048 pothole related breakdowns were reported to the RAC - up from 22,703 incidents in 2024 but below the 29,377 reported in 2023. Over the past six years reports were at their peak in 2021 with 31,146. And compensation claims have risen 91 per cent in three years, climbing from 27,731 in 2021 to 53,015 in 2024. Derbyshire saw the biggest surge, jumping from 224 to 3,307 claims, followed by Glasgow (1,140 to 2,794) and Oxfordshire (488 to 1,941). Although claims are far higher than in 2021, they dipped slightly from 56,655 in 2023. However only 26 per cent of claims were settled in 2024 as councils paid out 13,832 cases at an estimated total of £3.56million, with payouts averaging at £390 despite repair costs typically exceeding this. RAC research has revealed the cost of a pothole-related repair for anything worse than a puncture for a typical family car stands at £590. Merton paid the highest average per claim at £2,267, while Derbyshire paid the largest overall sum at around £605,000. Glasgow led Scotland in total payouts, and Wrexham topped Wales. But drivers' chances of success remain low as 172 councils rejected more than 90 per cent of claims in 2024, with several authorities refusing 99 per cent. Bridgend was the only council to pay every claim it received. Glasgow recorded the highest claims per mile, with 2,794 claims against a 1,203‑mile network. Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Edinburgh and Bury each saw roughly one claim per mile, while Surrey logged one claim for every two miles of road.
