A MOTORCYCLIST suffered serious injuries after being tipped off his vehicle driving over a perilous pothole.

Leon Ely was visiting his mum in Queen Elizabeth Way, Berechurch, Colchester,when his motorbike plunged into the pothole.

He had stopped for a quick chat one evening at the weekend before setting off in the darkness, driving at a steady speed.

But he sustained a broken wrist and his bike was left needing a host of repairs after the incident, while his crash helmet was left with a huge crack indicating it may have saved his life.

Speaking on behalf of Mr Ely, veteran Berechurch councillor Dave Harris, an avid motorcyclist for 51 years, says the Mr Ely now has to have time off work due to his injuries.

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He said: “I know Leon very well and he’s a nice, hardworking chap and an experienced biker. He left in a normal way, driving at no more than 20mph when he came off.

“Luckily one of his friends saw it happen and ran into the road to stop oncoming cars, had he not been there then perhaps Leon could have been hit or run over.

“The forks on the motorbike are bent and he’s going to need a major repair job before he thinks about riding again.

“The issue is he uses his bike for seeing his mum and going to work, but he’s off work now – the impact is terrible.”

Mr Harris added he now fears someone else could face fatal consequences due to the inadequate condition of some of Colchester – and wider Essex’s - roads.

He added: “This pothole could’ve killed this chap, thank goodness he was wearing a helmet.

“If you’re a biker you know to watch out for potholes as you can easily get tipped off.

“There’s a real risk here, they may damage my car but this is minor in comparison to the thought someone could die.

“This could happen so easily to somebody somewhere or other across Colchester or Essex. I fear the next one could be fatal.”

An Essex County Council spokesman said: "We are sorry to hear about the incident in question. 

“We would urge the resident to report the exact location of the pothole using our online tell us tool: http://bit.ly/EHtell-us. 

"An inspector can then check it against priorities on our forward work schedule for the area. 

“Defects that require urgent attention for safety reasons will be made safe with permanent repairs programmed to follow when resources are available.”