Fury as A363 pothole in Wiltshire ruins tyres

Vehicles were damaged in a 24-hour period after hitting the pothole around ironwork on the newly-resurfaced A363 Bath Road at Sally in the Wood while driving towards Bradford on Avon.

Graphic designer Chris Hart, 53, from Nursery Close, Hilperton, was on his way home from work in Bath when he hit the pothole in the dark.

He said: “I hit a pothole on my way home from Bath along the A363 at the top of Sally in the Wood.

Chris Hart suffered a flat tyre after hitting a pothole with his BMW when travelling along the A363 Bath Road through Sally in the Wood on his way home. (Image: Trevor Porter) “My warning lights flashed on and I pulled over in the next lay-by. My tyre had blown and I called breakdown.

“Ten minutes later a car pulls in behind me, he’s had the exact same experience, flat front off-side tyre. He calls the AA.

“I then worried that it could happen to others so I called the police and let them know.

The pothole has arisen from the damaged road surface around ironworks on the A363 Bath Road at Sally in the Wood. (Image: John Baker)

“While I’m on the phone another car pulls into the lay-by and tells the other guy his girlfriend has just had the same thing happen and she’s further up the road.

“He leaves and a little while later the police turn up and ask exactly where the pothole is. We tell them and they leave.

“As they go, the AA turn up and sorts out the other guy’s car. He tells us that he passed two other cars with their hazard lights flashing just up the road.

“The AA guy and the other bloke left after his car was fixed and 10 minutes later a lady pulls in behind me after hitting the pothole and being frightened she’d ruined her car.

“Luckily, her tyre wasn’t flat so she was able to carry on.”

Suzie Stone also suffered a flat front nearside tyre after hitting the pothole in her Peugeot 308 while returning home with her elderly father from a hospital appointment at the RUH in Bath. (Image: John Baker)

Suzie Stone, 46, from Great Cheverell, near Devizes, also suffered a flat front nearside tyre and was forced to pull over near the Cumberwell Golf Club.

She hit the same pothole on her way home after taking her father Malcolm Little to the Royal United Hospital in Bath for an appointment on Tuesday, October 29.

She said: “I hit this raised manhole at 12pm. I had to call out my husband Jay to come and change the wheel.

“We’re currently waiting for up to another three hours for the RAC to pick me up as we cannot replace my wheel as the wheel locking nut has sheared off.

“I was on my return from a hospital appointment with my elderly father and there was no way of avoiding it. I’m not happy and will be making a full complaint.

“Given that my self-employed husband has had to drive about 15 miles to try and help me change the tyre initially, I will be asking for compensation.

“It’s ridiculous this has not been sorted.”

A spokesperson for Avon & Somerset Police said: “We took one call at about 7pm yesterday and made the council highways team aware. The caller said two vehicles had damaged tyres.”

Cllr Manda Rigby, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “Thank you for alerting us to this pothole, one of our highways inspectors has already investigated the road.

"We have looked into this issue and found it is not the council's responsibility. We have passed this report to the relevant party to take action.

“The pothole is due to a broken BT cover which BT has been notified about as urgent to remedy and which we will continue to monitor."

The council has since installed two-way traffic lights to make safe the area around the pothole until it can be fixed.

Replying to complaints, the council says: “We respond to nine out of 10 reports of potholes and road surface issues within 10 working days, once we have decided on the best course of action."