WHAT DO you do when you see a huge pothole causing chaos to traffic right outside your front door? Rant and rage on the telephone?

Threaten to withhold your council tax? Or join the queue filling in forms on the internet requesting urgent attention?

Graham Howard tried humour instead — and it worked.

He lives close to Staverton's narrow, medieval bridge across the Dart where a monster pothole has been causing havoc for some time, growing larger by the day as more and more vehicles crash into it.

It is at a particularly vulnerable spot where drivers have to concentrate hard to enter or leave the bridge, through two bollards with only inches to spare.

Graham decided one picture is worth a thousand words and drew a cartoon imagining what might happen if the nuisance continued. He is an Off The Hook reader and knowing I also live in the village he sent it to me.

I relayed it via the internet to Devon County Council who saw both the funny and serious sides of the problem.

Next day a repair gang arrived and patched up the hole, to the relief of everyone concerned.

A spokesman said: "We understand people's concerns and are trying our very best to repair holes on the Devon road network, but with 8,000 miles and a great deal of defects reported, it is a difficult task.

"There are 26 dedicated pothole gangs across the county full time at the moment who are working hard to get around to all the reported problems. In the last month around 17,000 holes have been repaired.

"We still need the public to be the eyes and ears on the highway network.

"Potholes and safety defects can be reported online at www.devon.gov.uk or by calling 0845 155 1004."

Graham is delighted by his artistic success.

"I noticed another pothole appearing and felt we might soon need a ferry across the river," he says.