A notorious pothole that was pointed out by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak two weeks ago has finally been filled.

On his visit to Darlington’s Firthmoor on March 31, Rishi Sunak, accompanied by local politicians, took a close look at an obnoxious pothole. Hilarity ensued when a picture of the group went viral across social media.

Yesterday, it was reported that the pothole had yet to be filled, despite garnering national attention.

Read more: Rishi Sunak in Firthmoor, Darlington grilled over luxury heated pool

The Northern Echo: The original picture ignited the imaginations of many.The original picture ignited the imaginations of many. (Image: PA)

But Darlington Local MP Peter Gibson, Cllr Jonathan Dulston, and Mayor of Tees Valley Ben Houchen were quick to fire back.

Thirteen hours after circulated on social media, Houchen posted a picture of Dulston pointing to the freshly filled hole.

Houchen said: “[The pothole] has been fixed. It is only one pothole and there are more to fix, but the £85 million we secured for Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool for potholes will go a long way to sorting out this scourge on our roads.

The original picture went viral – with people across social media photoshopping the “meme-able” image into a number of amusing situations.

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The Northern Echo: Peter Gibson got in on the action, posing with the filled pothole.Peter Gibson got in on the action, posing with the filled pothole. (Image: Peter Gibson)

Sunak had appeared in Darlington to announce a new £200 million fund to fix the nation’s tarmac woes, but Downing Street confirmed there was no new money on top of the £200 million in the Budget.

Whilst campaigning with the local Tory party, Sunak said: "Today we're announcing more money for potholes," he said as he was photographed inspecting a road defect during the visit to the North East.

But the policy was criticised as a “total re-hash” of last year's pothole crackdown.