A driver left with a car repair bill for £500 is angry after her claims for compensation were turned down.
Nicola Price was left stranded beside the quiet Chesboule Lane at about 10.30pm after hitting the 20cm wide hole while travelling at about 35mph on her way home from visiting a friend in Gosberton in August.
The accident caused two tyres to burst and resulted in two bent and irreparable alloy wheels, forcing Nicola to endure a “scary” half an hour wait at the roadside before she was rescued by her dad.
The accident left her with a £594.11 repair bill on her Ford StreetKa and for the past four months Nicola has been trying to get compensation from Lincolnshire County Council to cover the cost.
But she claims she has been told that because the hole, which the council said was not big enough to be dangerous, had been reported the day before her accident and was fixed the day after it was her “bad luck”.
The stance has infuriated Nicola (29), of Moneybridge Lane, Pinchbeck.
She said: “If they knew about the pothole and it was bad enough that it needed fixing so urgently, why didn’t they put a warning sign up to let drivers know?
“They have said it’s just bad luck I managed to damage my car on it in the meantime, so I just want to warn other people of the dangers of potholes.
“It is in everyone’s interests to measure, photograph and report any potholes they see to prevent this happening to anyone else as in my experience the council are less than willing to compensate for any damage their ill maintained roads cause.
“I hate to think what may have happened if a cyclist had hit the pothole.
“It’s an awful feeling to know the damage is not your fault and there’s little to nothing you can do but pay personally for the shortfalls of council policy.”
Lincolnshire County Council confirmed the pothole was repaired within 24 hours of being reported.
Principal highways officer Hamish McConchie said: “We know how much of a nuisance potholes are, all the more so where they cause damage to vehicles.
“However, we are only potentially liable to pay for damage or injury if we have been negligent.
“We are not expected to, nor could we, keep all roads free of potholes at all times.
“Compensation would have to come from our road maintenance budget which could be used to fix the problem.”