ESSEX County Council’s highways chief asked his own authority for compensation after he hit a pothole, it has been revealed.

Rodney Bass took over responsibility for highways in May, including tackling the county’s 13,705 potholes.

The long-standing county councillor revealed yesterday he asked the authority for compensation three years ago when his car fell foul of a dodgy road.

Mr Bass was forced to fork out £250 in repairs after the exhaust clamp broke off his Jaguar XK convertible.

He said: “The car is fairly low slung and I hit an elevated part of a road in Little Totham caused by subsidence around a drain, which hit the bottom of the car.

“I submitted a claim to Essex County Council, but it was rebutted.

“I can empathise with those who do damage their cars, it is very irritating, but it is something we have to live with.

“These things happen and you have to grin and bear it.

“We have to have our eyes open all the time when we are driving.”

Mr Bass has since replaced the car, and emphasised he does not interfere with the claims procedure as a cabinet member for highways.

Rules state if a road defect has been drawn to the council’s attention, is classed as severe and has not been repaired, a claim for compensation can be made for any damage caused.

In Mr Bass’s case, the problem had not been reported to County Hall.

He said: “The council’s claims record is very good, or very bad if you are a driver. Our ability to defend claims is very good, and this means we are actually inspecting and taking remedial action on severe potholes quickly.

“If someone has damaged their vehicle they will know if we have inspected the defect and how serious it is by whether it has orange paint, which is a priority and should be dealt with within 28 days, or purple paint, which means it is less serious.”