A motorist says he and other users of a rutted road are being ridden roughshod over after potholes were left untreated – landing him with a bill for more than £200.
Paul Ingham was on his way along the Sutton St James road from his home in Long Sutton to March, where he was trading in his car.
But after a close encounter with a lorry forced him to hit a five inch deep pothole, Mr Ingham was forced to pay £219 to repair his Ford Focus before the car dealer would take it in part exchange.
Mr Ingham (68), of London Road, said attempts to claim compensation from the county’s highways department were met with disdain – a letter telling him he could try to claim but no one had yet made a successful claim after damaging their car on a pothole.
He said: “I had been travelling at about 45mph when I saw the pothole and a lorry coming the other way which meant I couldn’t avoid it.
“I slammed on the brakes, which I think was perhaps the worst thing I could have done, andmy wheel and tyre virtually exploded.
“Then what really annoyed me was that I wrote to the highway department and received a letter back saying I could claim for compensation but ‘ no one is successful against us’.
“They have now been down there and fixed that pothole but 60 yards further along there are even bigger potholes and they have just ignored those.
“They have received loads of extra money to fix potholes but these people are not doing their jobs and we ordinary motorists keep on having to pay the price.”