Driver wants council to pay bill after ‘dangerous’ pothole ‘ruins’ car

A furious dad claims “dangerous” potholes close to his house have cost him more than £200 in repairs to his car.

Anthony Quinn has criticised the state of the roads in his London neighbourhood and is fighting the council for the money back.

The 54-year-old claims the damage to his Volkswagen Polo was done by two potholes in Dudden Hill Lane, Brent, on Saturday, January 14.

He told MyLondon: “They’re all over the place, it’s like a golf course.”

The father-of-two described how the road was in such a poor state that it damaged both the car’s wheels and its axis.

He said: “First I busted the left hand tyre, it was punctured when it hit the pothole. Then the other one, the whole side of it was shredded from going into the ground. I had to get all the wheels realigned as well.”

He added: “The one on Dudden Hill Lane by the central bollards is massive, the roads cracked and it’s starting to open up.

“There’s another huge one on Blackbird Hill, Wembley Way, East Lane. They’re everywhere, you’re constantly having to avoid them.”

There are currently around 50 open cases relating to potholes in Brent that have been submitted on FixMyStreet – an app that enables residents to report incidents to the council.

Anthony said he was only heading out to a hardware shop so he could complete some DIY work at home when the incidents happened.

He said: “The repair work cost me about £250, it’s a joke. I emailed Brent Council because I want to claim it back but I am still waiting to hear back from them, they’re useless. They don’t do anything.

“Look at the pavements too, they’re a mess. I couldn’t imagine trying to go down there in a wheelchair or with a walking stick. It’s dangerous. Brent Council is a disgrace, surely they’ve got to maintain the roads and pavements, it’s health and safety. They have a duty of care.”

A council spokesperson said: “The recent cold snap has led to more damage to the roads than usual, which we expect when the weather becomes wet and cold.

“That is why we run a winter resilience programme every year that focuses on targeting hot spot areas and patching up defects in the road.

“We also have an emergency call out team who respond quickly to major defects and a team who inspect our highways regularly.

“We ask that residents notify us of any defects when they come across them by using the MyStreets App.

“Residents can submit a claim for damages to our Insurance Department if they believe we are at fault for damage by completing the claims form on this link.”