PICTURES: Pothole fury for Shirebrook driver

Loren Bell was driving home on December 30 along Station Road in Shirebrook when she heard an ‘almighty thud’.

She says she knows the same thing happened to two other people on the same night and is urging anyone else who has been affected to come forward. Loren said: “The tyre was so flat that when I was rescued there was no way of getting the jack underneath.

“I have reported the incident to Derbyshire County Council along with photographic evidence and they have advised they aren’t at fault and claim that the road had been inspected.

“I have also informed them that I will be taking them to a small claims court to recover my costs back.”

The driver returned to the spot the following day to take measurements and photographs of the pothole.

“I’m not really sure how they can say that this isn’t negligence,” Loren said.

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council, said: “We regularly inspect roads to national standards to check for damage and to make sure they are safe to use.

“If we spot any damage during these inspections, we make sure we repair it as quickly as possible.

“Station Road was inspected on 14 December, when no damage was found. We hadn’t had any reports until the day after your reader’s accident.

“As soon as we knew of the pothole we repaired it in two working days.

“We do not believe we are liable for the damage to the claimant’s car. We could not reasonably have known that the road would pose a problem for motorists.”

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