About three months ago, John Sim watched from his window the asphalt in the street outside collapse beneath the wheel of a truck, leaving a long dip in the road.
That dip is still there, along with a sunken patch of seal and a deep pothole which have formed since.
The damage has been blocked off by cones and fences, restricting access to the large part of road and cutting off Mr Sim’s driveway.
Mr Sim believed the council was putting them off because there were only eight houses in the street.
Now sick of the indefinitely installed blockade, residents of the street have decorated the barrier with tinsel, balloons and a cutout Santa in protest.
Heather Harvey, who was the mastermind behind the idea, said she was feeling a bit cheeky at the time.
"Everyone was moaning about it.
"We wanted people to have a smile on their face as they came down the road."
She worked together with one of her neighbours to brighten up the blockade last week.
It was a way to have a bit of fun, but she also hoped "it might hurry them up a bit".
The council had given residents a deadline for the work to be completed, but that had gone by and nothing had happened, she said.
Mr Sim hoped the festive decorations would incentivise the council to get the job done.
"There’s a funny side to it, but it shouldn’t have to come to this."
Regardless of how the council prioritised things the blockade was causing problems for those who lived there.
The council did not collect their rates any later just because fewer people lived in the street, he said.
A council spokesman said Beal St was a low-speed road with no connections and patching the road could cause further traffic issues.
The underlying cause was likely water finding its way beneath the asphalt, which meant any patch might not last for long.
Its investigation had found one of the holes to be as deep as "the length of a crowbar".
The council was working on a short-term solution so Mr Sim could regain vehicle access to his property, the spokesman said.
"However, the integrity of the holes, and their potential for expansion, remains an issue."
The slumping should not affect homes in the street, he said.
