Mr Pothole wins national award after years of campaigning over West Northamptonshire's roads
“I didn’t know you got awards for being a pain in the backside of authorities.” – Mark Morrell
A prominent pothole campaigner who has challenged authorities over the condition of roads in West Northamptonshire has received a national award recognising his efforts to improve Britain's highways.
Mark Morrell, better known as Mr Pothole, was presented with a Highways Champion Fellowship Medal at the inaugural Highways Champions Awards, organised by Highways Magazine.
The award recognises 13 years of campaigning for better road maintenance, during which Mr Morrell has challenged local authorities and the Government over the deteriorating condition of Britain's roads.
His campaigning has included highlighting highways problems in West Northamptonshire, as well as helping motorists across the country raise concerns about potholes and road safety.
Receiving his award from broadcaster Vernon Kay, Mr Morrell joked: "I didn’t know you got awards for being a pain in the backside of authorities."
Over the years, Mr Morrell has reported thousands of potholes which have subsequently been repaired and used legal notices and persistent campaigning to help secure millions of pounds of road maintenance work.
He also founded National Pothole Day and has provided advice to motorists seeking compensation for damage caused by potholes.
His work has taken him to Parliament, where he gave evidence to the Transport Select Committee for its Filling the Gap report into road maintenance.
Mr Morrell has also attracted national and international attention through a series of publicity stunts designed to highlight the state of Britain's roads.
Among them was filling a pothole with Pot Noodles, an unusual protest which attracted widespread media coverage.
He also took a tank to the Department for Transport for the Pothole Britain documentary before driving an orange tank around Parliament Square and Whitehall for National Pothole Day in 2020.
His campaigning has made him a regular television and radio commentator, with thousands of media interviews helping to raise awareness of the country's pothole problems.
Mr Morrell has also worked to educate politicians about the causes of potholes, the importance of effective repairs and the dangers posed by deteriorating road surfaces.
He established The Pothole Truth website to share research, investigations and advice about road maintenance.
The national recognition celebrates his continued efforts to hold highways authorities to account and push for improvements to roads across Britain.