Pot luck claim - huge pothole could have damaged hundreds of cars

The pothole, situated on Forest Road in Abronhill, was left untreated during the festive holidays and was disguised by a huge puddle.

Graham Warnock, of Seafar, hit the pothole on December 27 and used his spare tyre to replace the punctured one.

The taxi driver had a passenger in his car at the time and reported it to the police immediately because he was worried about road safety.

He said: “I hit the pothole with a passenger in the car who was going to catch a train. After I hit it, I saw at least three cars with punctures on the road. I went to the police office straight away to report it so no one would get hurt.

“What concerned me is I reckon over 100 cars have been hit during the period it was there. I feel there is a lot of cars with damaged tyres that will get a blow out on the motorway.”

Graham was advised that North Lanarkshire Council would be informed of the pothole, which has since been filled in but he wants to make other drives aware of it, in case they have undetected damage on their car.

The pothole was undetectable to most drivers because it was covered by a large puddle but Graham said it was deep enough to cause real damage to cars, and he hopes motorists will take time out to check their vehicle if they remember hitting it.

David Smart, business manager roads operations at North Lanarkshire council, said: “Our roads contractor, Amey, received a report about the pothole at 4pm on Christmas Day and immediately took action to carry out a temporary repair.

“The weather conditions and constant running water from land adjacent unfortunately meant that the repair did not hold and Amey attended the site to carry out further repairs on at least four subsequent occasions.

“Signs and traffic cones were also placed around the repair to advise drivers of the hazard.”

He added: “On January 3, an inspection showed that the repair was holding and temporary traffic lights were installed. Over the holiday period when suppliers were closed, Amey were unable to obtain the necessary materials to carry out a permanent repair. However, action has now been taken to carry out a full repair.”