Labour council condemned for 'wasting' nearly £50k on 'childish' mural in dark underpass that forced schoolchildren to walk in the road

Fuming locals have accused a Labour-run council of 'wasting' nearly £50,000 on a mural painted in a dark underpass that forced schoolchildren to walk in the dimly lit road.The mural, painted on both sides of the A1 underpass in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, was budgeted for £25,000 and depicts the town's history and heritage.Bassetlaw District Council had set aside the cash for the artwork but the cost almost doubled after schoolchildren were forced to walk in the road when the artist's materials and ladders blocked the pavement.The finished mural eventually cost £47,731 – £22,000 over budget – after the council had to pay for temporary traffic lights and other traffic management measures during the works.Residents have reacted angrily to the overspend and say the money should have been spent on community projects instead.The mural was funded by a £1million Town Streetscaping Funding allocation granted in 2024.Retired trucker Peter Chojnacki, 75, has lived in the village his whole life and said the mural is 'confusing'.The grandfather-of-four said: 'It's not just a small waste of money, it's a massive waste of money. The mural, painted on both sides of the A1 underpass in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, was budgeted for £25,000 and depicts the town's history and heritage Retired trucker Peter Chojnacki, 75, has lived in the village his whole life and said the mural is 'confusing''For starters it looks like something a child would do at school, secondly it's in a dark underpass so you can hardly see it.'I wouldn't be surprised if the street artists turn up with their own spray cans and add to it in the next few days.'I don't even think the mural actually represents Tuxford's history very well either. It all looks confusing.'I think almost £50,000 would have been so much better spent on a village hall or community space everyone could use.'Another resident said: 'I think it's a strange place to have a mural.'At first glance it looks like more graffiti but you can't exactly stop and admire it because it's on a busy road and no one wants to spend too much time hanging around an underpass.'It's laughable that they had to spend twice as much so kids wouldn't get run over on the way to school. Did no one at the council think about the fact the path would have to be closed off while it was painted?'The council admitted the traffic lights 'significantly contributed to the additional costs'. The finished mural eventually cost £47,731 - £22,000 over budget - after the council had to pay for temporary traffic lights and other traffic management measures during the works The artwork was funded by a £1million Town Streetscaping Funding allocation granted in 2024Councillor Steve Scotthorne, cabinet member for planning, identity and place, told the BBC: 'It is something nice to see on a dull underpass.'Not everyone will like what they see but it's about giving Tuxford a positive outlook and getting visitors in.'He said Via East Midlands, which provides road maintenance services for Nottinghamshire County Council, raised concerns after work had already started.He added: 'We were quite happy to budget for £25,000 but we had Via say they were concerned about the safety of artists and the people getting involved.'We needed to spend that money and we tried to make it as low as we could.'The cost was disappointing but we want to see our town centres thriving and people talking positively about them.'Via East Midlands said it initially granted the council a licence for the mural works.A spokesperson said: 'After receiving complaints from members of the public about school children walking in the road due to the footway being blocked, an inspection of the site took place which resulted in discussions with BDC about how to make the site safe.'Whilst we're aware the need for additional measures will have increased the cost of the project, the safety of pedestrians and road users was our priority.'The mural depicts Tuxford's time as a major coaching hub in the 1800s, connections to the brewing industry and a 1702 fire that almost wiped out the town.Of the £1million grant, £335,000 has so far gone on improving shop frontages, additional CCTV, play equipment in parks, defibrillators, speed reduction signs and market stalls.The mural was completed in August, with the artist working with a local school, charity and community group.