Telford tyre-burst driver in pothole cash wait
Pensioner Ron Poyser burst one of his front tyres after hitting a huge pothole in Telford – and despite council bosses pledging to fill all problem holes within 24 hours, it is still there more than one month later.
Pensioner Ron Poyser burst one of his front tyres after hitting a huge pothole in Telford – and despite council bosses pledging to fill all problem holes within 24 hours, it is still there more than one month later.
Mr Poyser had to pay nearly £80 for a new tyre after hitting the pothole in Tweedale. He is yet to receive any compensation from Telford & Wrekin Council, whose insurance firm have told him it will take three months to investigate.
Council chiefs today said it was taking so long to sort the problem out – the accident happened on November 7 – because they were trying to find out whether the road was unadopted or the responsibility of the authority.
But Mr Poyser, 65, of Pasmore Close, Aqueduct, said he was worried other drivers would suffer a similar fate if action was not taken quickly.
He said: "My wife and I were in the car with our young grandson and we were on our way to a carnival in Somerset we go to every year.
"There are normally parked cars on one side of the road and I just didn't see the hole, I felt this big bang and my tyre was burst in seconds.
"I could not believe how big the pothole was when I saw it. I saw an article in the Shropshire Star last week where another driver had suffered a burst tyre on the same road, and the councillor was quoted as saying all potholes reported would be filled in within 24 hours.
"Well I reported this one more than a month ago, so I was stunned to drive past yesterday and see that it was still there.
"Even worse, it was full of water, meaning drivers are even less likely to see and be able to avoid it. I can't understand why it is taking so long to sort out, surely they know which roads are theirs and which aren't?
"All I want is compensation for what I have had to pay out, and for the hole to be filled in so others don't suffer the same fate."
Councillor Shaun Davies, cabinet member for environment at the council, confirmed the authority was investigating whether it was responsible for maintaining the road or if it was privately owned.
He said: "It is vital that the council uses its scarce resources to prioritise works and, where a road is privately owned, that those responsible for it carry out the necessary works."
By Wayne Beese
