Driver in six-month pothole compensation wait

A motorist says he has been waiting more than six months for compensation after hitting a huge pothole which he says badly damaged his car.

Matt Shawtell said he paid more than £1,700 for repairs after striking the "massive" pothole on Cheadle Road in Draycott in the Moors, Staffordshire, in December.

He reported it to the county council and saw it was filled in the following day despite officials initially telling him it could not be located, he said.

In a statement the council said it had repaired the hole and compensation claims were handled externally by insurers so it could not comment on a claim’s status.

Mr Shawtell's car had to be picked up by a nearby garage after he hit the hole on 12 December.

The road defect was 6cm (2.3in) deep, more than 1m (2.3ft) wide and his nearside front tyre, lower arm and wheel bearing all needed replacing, he added.

After reporting it, Mr Shawtell said council officials told him they were "unable to identify any defects that require remedial works at this time".

He added he found that "frustrating" and "I was like you can’t not find it, it’s massive".

“So I went back the day after and I found it had been filled in so obviously they knew it was a problem or they at least went out and had a look when it was reported and thought 'oh it’s really bad' and filled it in immediately."

He said the road he was on had several potholes and urged the council to improve the routes in the county as they were "getting worse and worse".

“I’ve still not had any response and it’s particularly annoying having hit it at Christmas when you don’t have that much money in the bank as it is" he said.

"Ultimately I don’t feel the bill is justified for me having to pay it considering how bad the roads are."

Darryl Eyers, the council’s director for infrastructure, said their highways team had a report of the hole in Cheadle Road on 12 December, it was inspected the next day and an emergency repair was made "there and then".

“If a pothole causes damage to a resident’s vehicle, they have a right to make a claim for compensation on our website," he added.

"Claims for compensation are then handled externally by our insurers so we are unable to comment on a claim’s status."

Mr Eyers said the council had seen a huge rise in pothole reports after one of the wettest and stormiest winters on record and an additional £8m had been used towards fixing more roads over the next year.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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