PROBLEMATIC potholes are leaving drivers picking up the repair bill for damaged wheels and tyres.

The potholes on Berechurch Road, Colchester, are so bad a councillor fears a serious accident could happen.

Dave Harris (Lab, Berechurch) has been contacted by concerned drivers being left to fork out for car repairs.

Julia Brown, of Blackheath, was given a £210 repair bill after hitting a pothole.

She said: “It bent the alloy wheel in two places and took the tyre off. It happened to two other cars at the same time, so there were three of us changing wheels by the side of the road that night.

“There are lots of potholes along the road, some very deep, and it’s got so bad it needs resurfacing.”

Mrs Brown has put in a compensation claim to Essex County Council and contacted Mr Harris.

He has heard from other motorists, including a woman who needed a new tyre after hitting a pothole two days before Mrs Brown.

Mr Harris said the road has been “consistently bad for the past four years”.

He said: “Because of the Garrison rebuild a lot of lorries have been driving along the road, which has weakened the surface, and I have been in correspondence with the county council asking for action.

“The potholes have been repaired several times, but the filling comes out quickly and it just needs a proper job doing.”

Mr Harris has written to Norman Hume, the county’s executive member for highways, calling for emergency funding to resurface the road “as a priority”.

He added: “There is the potential that someone will get very badly injured unless something is done.”

County Hall spokesman Michael Page said the recent bad weather had led to more potholes across the county.

He said: “We are having to address the most immediate problems, but once we have assessed the impact this winter has had on our road network, we will be looking to allocate available resources on a programme of resurfacing.

“We will assess the condition of Berechurch Road and, if necessary, it will be considered for resurfacing.”