A POTHOLE-strewn lane whose owner no one can trace is causing major problems for hundreds of Poole sea scouts.

The leader of Lilliput Sea Scouts says he was warned he could be prosecuted for fly tipping if he filled in the potholes that threaten to trip up children heading to the group on dark evenings.

But solicitors for the scouts and for Poole council have been unable to find out who owns the land – and the council only has a duty to maintain it as bridleway.

Now it looks as though a solution might finally have been found to enable the unmade and unlit lane to be fixed.

The route runs from Turks Lane, at the edge of Whitecliff Recreation Ground, to the HQ of First Lilliput Sea Scout Group and to several businesses.

The scouts, cubs and beavers have around 240 members and 64 boats.

Ray Farnham, group leader of the sea scouts, told the Borough of Poole’s Newtown and Parkstone area committee: “I’ve been going up that lane for 33 years. It’s never been as bad.

“It’s now got to the stage where to be perfectly honest it’s dangerous to walk down there.

“The dips are 18 inches down.”

He said he had begun to fill the holes himself.

“Then the council came along and said to me ‘You put one brick in one hole, we’re going to do you for fly tipping’,” he said.

He had also been warned that anyone falling over on a surface he had laid could sue him, he claimed.

He told the Daily Echo: “We’ve got several disabled children down here and it’s getting harder and harder to get them here.”

Highways officer Sophia O’Sullivan said filling potholes would cost £2,000 to £4,000 a year when the annual budget for rights of way maintenance was only £8,500.

“We could spend many, many thousands of pounds to bring it up to a really good road surface but that would cost ridiculous money, somewhere in the region of £150,000,” she added.

The committee backed a move by Parkstone councillor Ann Stribley which would allow users to repair the lane themselves in consultation with the council.

Cllr Stribley said there was “great willingness for compromise”.

“I’m quite certain that there’s no objection by the council if either the scouts or all the users down there wanted to get together collectively and put a reasonable surface on it,” she said.