Neighbours say they have been waiting so long for holes in their road to be repaired that grass has started sprouting from them.

People living in Rayfield, Epping, say the state of their street is the worst they have seen it and it is made more dangerous by people who work in the town parking along there during weekdays.

Roger Muggleton, 68, said: “I first reported this to Essex County Council at the end of May and I’ve phoned them up once a month since then.

“The holes now have grass growing out of them.

“One is over a metre long and is getting to six or seven inches deep.

“Once we get the frost, that’s going to start lifting it.

“We also have a blind bend that people park on, so it’s very dangerous.”

His neighbour Frederick Dawson, 81, said: “It’s getting worse than ever.

“Every time a car goes over a pothole, it’s just bang bang, all night long.

“The first two of the four main holes are where my house is.

“I was lying in bed this morning and could hear cars going over the holes from 7am to 8am.

“I want something to be done about the potholes and double yellow lines. We don’t live in an estate, we live in a car park.”

An Essex County Council spokeswoman said: “The maintenance of the county's road network continues to be one of the council's top priorities and we have fixed more than 41,000 potholes since June 2012.

“We appreciate the recent bad weather has not helped the situation in some areas.

“The defects in Rayfield are due to be scheduled for repair within the next 14 days.

“We would like to remind and encourage residents to report all defects via the Essex County Council website by clicking on the link from the home page at www.essex.gov.uk or calling 0845 603 7631 to help ensure any issues are brought to the council’s attention and assessed as quickly as possible.

“In order to ensure safety and minimise disruption to the road network, the county council has to prioritise work on road defects that present the most immediate safety risk.”