When Hollywood rolled into town in 2018, residents might have expected red carpets and celebrity sightings. In Treborth, however, locals were far more impressed when a visiting film crew rolled up their sleeves and repaired one of Bangor’s most infamous road hazards.
The 1.5-metre (4.9ft) wide crater – dubbed “the biggest pothole in Bangor” – had become a growing frustration for drivers near the Menai Suspension Bridge. As the hole expanded, residents resorted to repeatedly placing traffic cones inside it to warn motorists, turning the pothole into an unwanted local landmark.
Despite hopes that the Council would step in, residents were told the road was not their responsibility. The pothole remained unfixed, increasingly hazardous and emblematic of wider concerns about road maintenance.
Then came a plot twist worthy of the big screen.
The pothole was finally repaired by the film crew behind The Voyage of Dr Dolittle, who were filming scenes in the area. As part of an agreement to use the location, the production team offered to repair the road themselves – filling the notorious hole and instantly improving conditions for local drivers.
The nearby bridge was partially closed on Sunday to allow filming to take place, with scenes shot for the movie starring Robert Downey Jr., Michael Sheen, Emma Thompson and Antonio Banderas.
The unusual repair quickly made headlines on BBC News, turning a local infrastructure problem into a national talking point and cementing Bangor’s Big Pothole as a piece of city folklore.
As National Pothole Day is marked each year on 15 January, a reminder of the persistent problem of road surface damage that affects millions of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The Treborth tale remains a uniquely Bangor reminder that while potholes can be costly and dangerous, the city’s most famous one was ultimately defeated by a touch of movie magic – and a Hollywood budget.
