Why haven't the council filled this pothole?

10:30am Thursday 21st February 2013 in News

Kevin Attridge points to the pothole Kevin Attridge points to the pothole

A MOTORIST is counting the cost of a smashed wheel after hitting a massive pothole.

The hole which has several inches of water sitting in it around a water access cover is not hard to see and many drivers along Sutton Road, Rochford are able to avoid it.

But Kevin Attridge in his Ford Escort was forced to drive into it when a car was coming in the other direction.

The hole is right outside the entrance to Purdeys Industrial estate.

Mr Attridge, 54, of Stambridge Road, Rochford, said: “I drive this route daily. People avoid the hole like the plague it’s been there weeks. To avoid it you have to go partly on the other side of the road, on this occasion I couldn’t as a car was coming in the other direction.

“I heard a loud bang as I drove into it. It smashed my wheel.

“I put in a claim to Essex highways and reported the hole but more than ten days on its still there and getting bigger with all the rain we’ve had.

“This could be quite dangerous for a moped rider if they hit it. I’m amazed the council are ignoring it.”

He added it was lucky he wasn’t in his other car a Mercedes or the repair bill would be higher.

He is submitting a claim form to Essex County Council for the wheel to be fixed.

He warned: “Drivers should inspect their wheels. People may not realise but one could be damaged and its only while at speed on a motorway it may cause a blowout.”

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of this defect and it will be scheduled for repair in due course. In order to ensure safety and minimise disruption to the road network, the County Council has to prioritise work on road defects that present the most immediate safety risk.
 

“We cannot comment on individual compensation claims. However please be assured that all claims received by Essex County Council are investigated fully."

Comments(16)

j-w says...
11:17am Thu 21 Feb 13

Hey Maxell, a story about you! well done!

I agree with you though, this is one of a number of holes or exposed ironworks at this junction, why they didn't repair this part of the road when it was closed slightly further up for bridge works ? Too sensible that idea!

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howironic says...
11:59am Thu 21 Feb 13

So he had no choice but to drive over it because another car was coming in the opposite direction.

I know the Ford Escort is quite an old car now, but I'm sure it's fitted with brakes and could have slowed up to let the other vehicle pass.

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Ian P says...
12:16pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Now they have read that you will be submitting a claim, I bet the ECC Highways Department are rubbing their hands together, with this story being in the Echo. Not very clever publishing the fact that “I drive this route daily. People avoid the hole like the plague it’s been there weeks". In other words 'I have known for weeks that it was there and on every other day I have managed to miss it'. I wish you luck with your claim, but I am not holding my breath.

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j-w says...
12:43pm Thu 21 Feb 13

These holes have been there a year or more and have got worse lately. The fact is they could have repaired them whilst fixing the bridge last year, I hope he gets a good payout!

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von says...
1:02pm Thu 21 Feb 13

It gave me a puncture too. Tyre split, so had to get another one. Going to cause an accident before long

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Audioman says...
1:54pm Thu 21 Feb 13

You should know that the council DOES not have the money for repairing pothloles so fill them in yourself.

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jayman says...
3:16pm Thu 21 Feb 13

first the council will need to pay a consultant to produce a Computer generated model of the pot hole. Then they have to speak to a quantity surveyor to get an estimate of the materials needed.

3000 carpet tiles are purchased to fill the hole. Only three are used.

the cost is fifteen million pounds.

the carpet tiles rot after two months.

some high quality tarmac falls through a singularity in the space time continuum! the hole is filled due to a random series of quantum physical events..

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Cosmo Spring says...
4:43pm Thu 21 Feb 13

they've moved on the local tarmac specialists though haven't they?

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jolllyboy says...
5:11pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Why ? because there are so many and even those done around Hadleigh for the olympics are bad again. Temp work costs more in the long run.

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GentleGiant says...
6:25pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Once the council are aware of a pothole, then any claims are likely to be okay.

However if you are the first to tell them, then a claim will fail.

fixmystreet.com is an easy way to tell the council / Essex County Council and is then visible for everyone to see.

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saddo99 says...
7:25pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Oh be fair. There is a hole and the council are looking into it!

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ddf35 says...
7:30pm Thu 21 Feb 13

I reported these pot holes on the fixmystreet website (which is passed to ECC immediately - its easier to use than the ECC website) on 17th Jan (and they'd vbeen there sometime), and still nothing done.

i reported a few others at the time - a couple have been done, but most have not. who decides which are worthy of being fixed? They were all on route from Southend to Rochford, the route this guy probably takes too.

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woolstone says...
11:02pm Thu 21 Feb 13

Rayleigh has quite a few pot holes that have been reported time and time again and nothing has been done. If the holes were repaired properly in the first place they would last longer, what they council is doing by temporary repairs will cost more money in the long run.

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runwellian says...
10:16am Fri 22 Feb 13

What are you all complaining about, potholes are the only thing the councils allow us to keep tax free!

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Cosmo Spring says...
4:50pm Fri 22 Feb 13

runwellian wrote:
What are you all complaining about, potholes are the only thing the councils allow us to keep tax free!
I never find any pot in them though

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j-w says...
8:48am Tue 26 Feb 13

These potholes have been "repaired" well filled in a bit, shame there is a hole next to a drain not twenty yards away that you could lose a bus in that is still there. What a joke that these holes are there for over a year and the moment a story appears in the Echo a quick fix is made!

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