Artistic pothole protester 'bugs' council officials Published duration 16 January

image copyright Karan Holland image caption Karan Holland says she took matters into her own hands after Lincolnshire County Council failed to take action

A woman who spray painted the image of a bug around a pothole after it damaged her car remains defiant after criticism from a council.

Karan Holland said she had to pay for a new tyre after driving over the pothole near her home in Spilsby, Lincolnshire.

The "street artist" has now been dubbed "Bugsy" by social media users, many of whom approved of her actions.

Lincolnshire County Council said repair of the hole would be delayed due to the paint having to be removed.

"On Friday night I was going along and hit a pothole which burst my tyre," Ms Holland said.

"I took it to the tyre place on Saturday and £53 later I decided I'd had enough.

"I went and bought some spray paint and I made it into a bug."

She said: "If I can save people from getting a bill like I did then it's worth it."

image copyright Karan Holland image caption Ms Holland has since expanded her bug-art repetoire

Ms Holland, who works as a cleaner, said the pothole was still not fixed, despite other drivers reporting it to them.

"This pothole must be costing the council hundreds, so why haven't they filled it?" she said.

"They should be paying me to be honest with you - to go round and do this."

Ms Holland has since added other bugs to her pothole portfolio to warn road users of the hazards.

However, she remains modest about her artistic skills.

"They look like they have been painted by a two-year-old," she said.

In response Richard Davies, executive member for highways at the council, said: "We appreciate potholes are a bugbear, but artistic acts such as this will actually slow us down when it comes to repairing them, as crews have to spend time cleaning the road."