A man has decided to drown dolls in a protest against poor road maintenance. Neville Daytona, 56, bought the dolls in a charity shop so he could install them in particularly deep potholes.

So far he has only chosen long-haired blonde dolls, rather than any Ken dolls or action men. Their heads were above water, so technically they were just having a soak.

The idea is that the suffering dolls were supposed to warn fellow motorcyclists which parts of the road to avoid, reports the Metro.

It actually worked, as Swindon Borough Council has now stepped in to fix the ‘underlying issue’.

Dad-of-three Neville placed them on a route over the M4 in Swindon. ‘The roads are disgusting. Everyone’s moaning about it,’ he said.

‘I ride a motorbike, cycle and drive. On a motorcycle or bicycle you have to swerve all over the road to avoid the potholes – if you don’t you’re wincing. ‘So I thought I’d do something amusing about it.’

Neville, who lives in Wroughton, Wiltshire, was inspired by a Mancunian who spray paints penises around potholes to encourage council repairs.

‘I was going to call them ladies of the street, but I thought it wasn’t very PC,’ he said. ‘It’s childish, it’s clean humour and it’s just funny. If it makes someone smile it’s worth it.’

A picture of the first doll, shared on a village Facebook group, received more than 250 likes. A spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said: ‘Our action men and women have repaired the pothole several times but it keeps reappearing due to a problem with the motorway bridge. ‘Highways England have agreed to fix the underlying issue.’