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Authorities Are Not Happy With Rod Stewart’s Decision to Fix Potholes on a Public Road

While common sense would say you should try and fix a wrong if you can, authorities draw the line at fixing roads out of your own initiative.
Rod Stewart is a big-time car collector, with a soft spot for Rolls-Royce 10 photos
Photo: Instagram / Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart fills potholes so he can drive his Ferrari on Essex roadRod Stewart fills potholes so he can drive his Ferrari on Essex roadSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 yearsSir Rod Stewart shows off massive model railway city that he's been building for the past 26 years
Most septuagenarians would rather spend their weekends in more comfortable circumstances, but legendary singer Sir Rod Stewart spent his most recent out in a light drizzle, shoveling gravel into massive craters on a public road. He wasn’t sentenced to community work or anything of the kind: as he explained on social media, he did it because “no one else can be bothered.”

Stewart and a bunch of friends came out last weekend to fix potholes on a side road in Harlow, Essex. The singer lives nearby too, and he was honest about his personal motivation behind the involvement: the road was so bad that he couldn’t drive his Ferrari through there. But it upset him that others had trouble, too, and at the same time, that authorities were doing nothing to remedy the situation.

“People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire,” the singer said as he shoveled gravel into the craters. “So me and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves. We are filling the holes while millions and millions of pounds have been spent on the M11.”

The gesture was admirable, for sure, if only because of Stewart’s age and the fact that he is a very, very rich man, with a fortune estimated at $250 million. It was also in tune with what most of us have been taught from an early age, namely that we should try and fix something if we can because indifference won’t get us far.

According to authorities, the gesture was also useless, if not downright reckless. And definitely not something that should be imitated by non-celebrity folk. “Whilst we appreciate Sir Rod’s commitment to improving his community, we would discourage anyone from doing work on the roads themselves because without proper traffic management and other specific safety measures, residents are putting themselves at risk,” a spokesperson for Essex Highways tells iTV.

If you thought authorities were objecting to the quality of Stewart’s work or the fact that he is not trained in fixing potholes, you were obviously wrong. As for the safety considerations, the videos clearly show that Stewart and his team wore hi-vis vests and had road signs put up.

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Editor's note: Photos in the gallery also show Rod Stewart's model railway city, which he built over 26 years.

About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
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