Motorist shocked as hole appears in road
A driver has spoken of the moment his car struck a deep hole that opened up suddenly in a road near Ironbridge.
James Cawley, from Priorslee, Telford, was driving from Broseley to the Wrekin along the B4373 Ironbridge Road in Jackfield on Boxing Day when the hole appeared, throwing his Mini into the air.
He said: "I was going to have a walk up the Wrekin on Boxing Day, which I do quite often but I actually went into the hole.
"I don't know what damage has been done to the car yet, I need to get someone to look over it but my wheel is not too good.
"My wheel took a chunk out of the hole. It wasn't as big as that before. Now my tyre keeps going down constantly so I have to keep blowing it up.
"I can't say if it was a pothole or not but as I went over it with my front wheel I think it collapsed and my back wheel went in.
"If the hole was already that size it would have written the car off."
Mr Cawley, 46, says the back tyre of his Mini Cooper was the one that suffered the brunt of the damage and he is now in contact with Telford & Wrekin Council and his insurance company to sort out its repair.
The hole itself is around 3ft wide and 5ft deep and opened in the centre of the main road connecting Broseley to Jackfield.
He said: "It was quite early in the morning and I didn't expect to hit anything.
"There was a big bang, really big, the car was thrown about so I got out to have a look, pulled my car out of the way and called the police.
"The police officers were really happy that I stopped and waited for them because if someone else had come along, like a motorcyclist, I daren't think what would have happened."
The cause of the hole is not yet known but the area along the Ironbridge Gorge is known for subsidence. Officials at Telford & Wrekin Council said today the wet weather will have exacerbated any problems.
The road has been closed and an investigation into what caused the hole to appear has begun.
