Beware of pothole peril in Hadfield

A Glossopdale motorist is warning other drivers to beware this week after a collision with this pothole in Hadfield left him hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

The driver hit the hole head on in the pitch black of a bleak and wet Friday night (29 January) as he travelled home in the early evening.

The motorist, who preferred not to be named, told us: "It was raining and pitch black and my headlights didn't pick up anything other than the dark road ahead when I hit something and there was an almighty bang.

"I wasn't going especially fast - certainly less than the 30mph speed limit - but immediately the steering became jittery and I knew the car was badly damaged. It was all I could do to limp home hoping that the car had only sustained a flat tyre.

"I checked my vehicle though and the tyre hadn't fully gone flat, so drove gingerly the short distance back home, but I could tell something was badly wrong.

"At that time I didn't go looking for what exactly I had hit, as it was so dark and wet - but I guessed it was a pothole."

However, when the motorist went to check on the damage in the light of the following morning, the tyre was totally flat.

Rescued by the RAC, he was taken to the nearest mechanic for a new tyre, only to be informed that the damage was as feared, worse than hoped, with the alloy wheel rim badly buckled by the impact with the pothole.

"A new tyre and balancing was costly enough, but I will need to source a new alloy wheel rim too and the total cost together with the tyre will be in excess of £240.

"I intend to submit a claim against the council as this isn't an 'average' sized pothole or an acceptable condition for a main road to be left in at all," added the motorist.

"However, I think other road users really need to be alerted to the fact that it is there. If a cyclist hit it in the dark they could certainly be very seriously injured or worse."

The deep pothole is situated on Newshaw Lane, Hadfield, before the Glossopdale school entrance and just after the pedestrian central crossing zone - close to the junction with Newlands Drive. 

The driver went back on Saturday to take these pictures and said he saw motorists - and bus drivers - only narrowly avoiding the pothole as it is close to the crossing and difficult to steer clear of even in broad daylight.

Hadfield South borough councillor Edward Siddall said: “It’s a nasty pothole and I have reported it to Derbyshire County Council so it can be repaired as soon as possible.

“In the meantime, I urge people to drive carefully and be aware of this pothole on Newshaw Lane so that nobody else ends up damaging their vehicle and having a costly experience as a result.

“If you see any other potholes in the area, please report them on the DCC website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk.”

Read more from the Glossop Chronicle

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper