Schwarzenegger, a Hollywood icon and the former governor of California, had posted a video of himself filling in the hole after saying it had “upset” neighbours. It turned out the hole was a service trench.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has hit back at a gas company after it left a service trench incomplete on a Californian road.

The Terminator star had posted a video of himself filling what he thought was a “giant pothole” which he said had been “screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks” in the Brentwood neighbourhood in Los Angeles.

It was actually a “service trench” being used for “permitted work” by a gas company, SoCalGas, authorities in Los Angeles have said.

Responding to the authorities, Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger said: “If the gas company thinks finishing their work and leaving a trench in one lane of a two-lane road for six months that requires cars and bicyclists to drive in wrong way traffic – again, for six months – they should go back to school.”

He explained that the former governor of California understood the current LA Mayor, Karen Bass, is only a “few months on the job and trying to hire more road workers and doesn’t blame her”.

Mr Ketchell added that Schwarzenegger “just wanted to send a message to everyone that these jobs can be done quickly”.

According to the Los Angeles Times, SoCalGas crews completed an upgrade on a pipeline at the end of January and “applied temporary paving over the excavation,” quoting the utility company’s statement.

The publication added that the gas company typically “applies permanent paving within about 30 days of the project completion, but the schedule was delayed due to the rain” and that “paving should be complete by the end of the week”.

Schwarzenegger had tweeted a video of himself and someone else using a packaged asphalt cold patch material to repair the road.

He wrote on Twitter as he shared the video on Tuesday: “Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it.

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“I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.”

However, a spokesperson for the City of Los Angeles told Schwarzenegger that he may have been misinformed about the nature of the hole.

“This is not a pothole,” the spokesperson told Sky News’ US partner network NBC Los Angeles.

“It’s a service trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by SoCalGas, who expects the work to be completed by the end of May.

“As is the case with similar projects impacting City streets, SoCalGas will be required to repair the area once their work is completed.”

SoCalGas describes itself as being the US’ largest natural gas distribution utility company.

In the video, a neighbour rolls down her car window and shouts her thanks.

“You’re welcome,” Schwarzenegger replies. “You have to do it yourself. This is crazy. For three weeks I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed,” he adds.

Mr Ketchell had said Brentwood residents made repeated requests for repairs since winter storms opened up potholes and cracks on roads.