Residents more fearful of local road than ‘arctic conditions’ after potholes burst three tyres in just THREE days
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A road filled with potholes is sending shivers down locals’ spines, with one resident losing three tyres over the course of the weekend to the treacherous stretches of path.
Ken Addison said he would rather face “arctic conditions” than drive down the B4373 Bridgnorth-to-Broseley route, in Shropshire.
He said he fears that whilst manoeuvring to avoid the potholes, he could end up in the path of oncoming traffic.
Addison uses the road every day, but between last Friday and Sunday, he was in for a nasty surprise as he lost three tyres due to the holes in the road.
One resident had three of his tyres burst over a single weekend
BBC/Getty
He said the first two tyres on his Mercedes D Class blew on Friday afternoon before a replacement tyre also became damaged.
“I had a double blow-out on the nearside caused by one pothole on Friday afternoon,” Addison said, who had counted nine dangerous potholes on the road.
“It cost me £300 to get replacements, but one of the tyres then had to be replaced on Monday.”
Addison, who had previously spent time in the arctic, said he would prefer to navigate the icy conditions in the North Pole than drive in Shropshire, something he is now “somewhat afraid of”.
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He told the BBC that he had to be “constantly aware of the potholes” and “the need to swerve to avoid them at the last minute".
“But then,” he said, “you've got the danger of oncoming traffic.”
David Mee, who runs a garage in the area, said he was now constantly fixing cars damaged by potholes.
Shropshire Council has pledged to launch an investigation.
Earlier this year, the Government announced that Shropshire Council would receive an additional £5.2 million to help fix potholes.
Addison had counted nine dangerous potholes on the road
PAPhilip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, says he has contacted the local authority to emphasise the issue of potholes in the area.
Dunne said: “Unfortunately many of South Shropshire's roads have suffered from the recent cold weather and flooding, which is why it was welcome Shropshire Council received confirmation of an additional £5.2m for pothole repairs from the government just before Christmas.
“This is one reason I launched jointly a survey recently for constituents to report particular problem potholes.
“I have been in touch with Shropshire Council on behalf of many constituents to help highlight problem areas and ensure they are added to the programme of repairs.”