One pothole in Staffordshire damaged 14 cars - repair man

Fourteen cars in 12 hours were damaged by being driven over the same pothole, a mobile tyre fitter said.

Gregory Burgher, from Stafford Mobile Tyres, said he had seen business soar because of pothole damage.

He said about 70% of his workload was from potholes, which he added he knew was frustrating for customers.

The large pothole is on the A519 Eccleshall Road in Staffordshire, at a spot in Forton. The council said the road was scheduled to be repaired.

Recently, The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance survey reported the equivalent of 690 potholes are filled in the Midlands each day.

But the data showed councils in the West Midlands only received about two thirds of the funds needed to fix potholes.

The survey, taken by 68% of local authorities in the Midlands, also suggests more than £2.5bn is needed to fix the backlog of repairs.

Burton-upon-Trent resident Olga Glass has been protesting for better and safer roads.

Ms Glass has been conducting a so-called Pothole Tour of Burton on Facebook along with her friend Evelyn Dean. She stands by potholes for an hour with banners and encourages drivers to "honk the horn when you see a pothole".

Staffordshire County Council said a major programme of repairs in Burton had already been scheduled in for this year.

The spokesperson said "Over the next two years, the council will be investing more than £6m into highways in the town and the surrounding areas.

"While we are pleased that we are expecting to receive around a £4m share of the government's national pothole fund, we would welcome a longer term funding settlement for road repairs."

Ruth Howard, of Bedworth, Warwickshire, recently had to pay £140 to fix car damage caused by a pothole and said they were often "impossible to avoid".

"It's shocking, considering I'd previously paid out to get my car serviced and through its MOT last week. So I knew my car was in good condition before I went over it," she said.

"You have to maintain your car anyway by law, but when it's something that's not your fault, it's just more galling."

Scott Tompkins, assistant director with responsibility for highways at Warwickshire County Council, said: "We are committed to maintaining the highest possible standards of road safety and will continue to work to ensure that our roads are in the best possible condition."

Mr Tompkins encouraged the public to continue reporting pothole issues.

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