‘Dangerous’ Catford pothole forces mum to swerve car with son in causing £200 damage
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The 42-year-old, who wishes to be kept anonymous, claims the damage to her BMW was caused by a pothole in Bromley Road on April 24.
She said it caused almost £200 worth of damage to her car.
She told the News Shopper: “I didn’t even notice the pothole at first, we were just driving along, and everything was normal.
“Then something went bang, and we slightly swerved which forced us to pull over.
“I noticed my front passenger wheel just went bust and was left completely damaged.”
After stopping her car on the “busy” road, she had to pull up to a nearby garage to have her tyre replaced.
She says she noticed other cars also getting damaged after passing over the pothole in Bromley Road.
She added: “I saw that other cars had started to pull over after passing the pothole.
“I’m assuming they also had damage caused to its cars by the same place where my car was damaged.
“On the day, the tyre itself was £180 as the garage only had brand new tyres.
“I’m going to get the car checked in the next week to see if it has caused any further damage.
“I’ve just had a service done to the car, so I know that nothing was wrong with it before.”
Andy Wiseall, TfL’s Head of Asset Operations, said that safety is a top priority and it works hard to ensure the road network is safe and fit for purpose.
It apologised to hear about the damage to the vehicle and any claim for compensation will be assessed in line with its “fair” and “robust” process.
The Bromley mum says potholes can be dangerous for “less experienced” drivers, especially for learners which can affect their confidence.
She worries for the safety of learners, especially her sons, if councils do not take the issues of potholes “more seriously”.
She explained: “My son is a new driver, he’s never experienced something like that before and I don’t think he’d know what to do.
“I’m glad it was in my car and not in his to be honest.”
She has since criticised the state of the roads in her neighbourhood and is asking Transport for London for money on the repairs.
She added: “I contacted Lewisham Council after the incident happened, but they said that road is managed by Transport for London.
“But there needs to be someone that takes full responsibility for these potholes.
“They really do need to be fixed because it’s everywhere, especially in Bromley.
“I just worry that this accident could have been bigger and more severe.”
A spokesperson for TfL confirmed that the pothole in Bromley Road has now been fixed following the incident.
The full statement from TfL says: “Safety is our top priority and we work hard to ensure our road network is safe and fit for purpose.
“We make every effort to prevent incidents caused by potholes through our inspection and repair programme and any pothole reported that could cause injury is made safe within one, four or 24 hours of it being reported, depending on its risk.
“The pothole on Bromley Road has been fixed. We’re sorry to hear about the damage to the vehicle and any claim for compensation will be assessed in line with our fair and robust process.
“A sustainable long term funding arrangement for London’s roads, similar to that provided by Government to other cities in the UK, is essential to ensuring a safe and sustainable road network.”
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