Reparo! Harry Potter film crew mend potholes blighting Devon village

Residents of cities, towns and villages across the UK complain their lives are blighted by the plague of potholes. But life in one small village on a moor in the English West Country is going a little more smoothly after some of its potholes were repaired as if by magic.

Scenes for the new HBO adaptation of the Harry Potter books are due to be filmed in Lustleigh, Devon, and the film-makers have filled in at least some of the potholes in the area.

Announcing news of the repair, the parish council said on Facebook: “Good news! The filming company have been given permission by the DCC [Devon county council] highways to proceed with repairs on Wreyland Path, using an approved contractor. The contractor will fill all large potholes manually and will then assess if further work needs to be carried out. The path will not be shut so can be used as normal.”

Villagers welcomed the repairs but questioned why it took the arrival of a fictional wizard to begin sorting out the problem. One grumpily replied to the parish council on Facebook: “Can fix potholes for filming but not for everyday use.”

From left, Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout, who will portray Hermione Granger, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Photograph: Aidan Monaghan/AP

Another asked: “Would it be possible for the parish council [to] ask the film company, as a good token gesture, to do all the other roads in the parish?”

A third suggested: “Harry Potter and the potholes … good new book heading.”

Wreyland Path is a small lane bordered by stone walls and picturesque cottages, some of them thatched.

The council has a team of volunteers that go out and repair small potholes and a “Lustleigh pothole tracker” spreadsheet mapping the problem areas. Larger potholes, in excess of 4cm deep and 30cm wide, have to be reported to the county council.

Filming for the new series previously took place in the fishing village of Cadgwith on the Lizard peninsula in south Cornwall. The actor Dominic McLaughlin was pictured in costume as Harry.

According to villagers, the filming of the Potter series in Lustleigh – population: about 600 – is being conducted under the codename “Brown Cat”. Tourism businesses in the south-west of England hope the show, due to be aired in 2027, will lead to a boost for the region.