Obscene graffiti daubed on a substantial pothole has been covered up but the cavity remains unrepaired despite contractors admitting it presents a trip hazard to pedestrians.

The crater in Fearnley Street was recently outlined with a crude yellow penis accompanied by a plea to “fix me”.

And Hertfordshire County Council highways contractor Ringway has now to some degree answered that request by temporarily covering the explicit work of art.

However the pothole itself, which sits on a pedestrian crossing, has not been repaired.

READ MORE: Penis drawn around pothole to get it fixed more quickly

Kevin Carrol, Ringway divisional manager, said the road surface was first inspected in November following a report of a poor road surface but that no trip hazards or potholes meeting the council’s guidelines for urgent repair were identified.

He added that the road has been inspected every month since then as part of the contractor’s safety inspection regime. 

Mr Carrol said: “The presence of obscene graffiti does not mean potholes will get fixed quicker, as we repair the most dangerous defects firsts, it simply means crews must spend time cleaning it off the highway instead of undertaking repair works.

“We can confirm the graffiti has been covered over and works will be scheduled to remove the trip hazard road surface which is present on the pedestrian crossing.”