Potholes sell like hot cakes in German village

BERLIN - A novel idea by a hard-up east German village to sell its potholes to finance their repair looked Friday to have got off to a good start, with 111 already snapped up, the official website showed.

Since last week people have been able to buy a hole in Niederzimmern near Leipzig for 50 euros (68 dollars). In return the authorities will repair it, and “sponsor” it by putting a personal message on top.

Those interested can choose which pothole grabs their fancy by perusing photos, complete with a toy yellow dumper truck to give an idea of scale, available on the village’s website, www.niederzimmern.de.

Information is even provided in English to potential buyers outside Germany. Niederzimmern mayor Christoph Schmidt-Rose said on local radio on Friday that he did not know how many potholes there were left.

Experts estimate that months of severe winter weather have left as many as 40 percent of Germany’s roads badly damaged, while the recession has made left local authorities wanting to patch them up short of cash.

- Sapa-AFP