A woman has been left £600 out of pocket after hitting a ‘huge’ pothole.

The 27-year-old Chesham resident, who asked not to be named because of her work, shared her “terrifying” encounter with a pothole on April 18.

She was driving late from Bovingdon to Chesham when her Renault suddenly hit a pothole on Whelpley Hill.

The impact felt like “dropping into a huge hole and then a couple of massive bangs,” she said.

She said: “It was really worrying, luckily there was nothing coming on the other side of the road because it hit the pothole so hard that the car naturally swerved and I only got a couple of metres before we had to pull over because we heard the metal on the wheel dragging - the tyres deflated and got dragged off pretty much instantly.”

Getting out of her car in the dark wasn’t an option as cars were speeding past her, she said.

Luckily her partner, who works in mechanics and was travelling in the car with her, was able to see what the damage was as the couple waited for recovery at around 11pm.

“We’re now out of £600 which is a massive chunk of our wages and it just feels completely unfair, it was something that was completely out of our control and within the councils and yet we’re paying for it.

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“The council either need to fix the potholes seriously as soon as they’re reported for people’s safety or at very least they need to be accountable for the damage they’re doing to people’s cars and reimburse costs of damage," she said. 

She was “shocked” to find a statement on the Council’s website saying they are unlikely to reimburse cost of repairs, she said.

“And obviously it’s only a matter of time before it causes a serious accident genuinely, the roads are absolutely horrific.

“I’m also very nervous driving since because I can’t afford that kind of damage again!” she added.

Buckinghamshire Council’s cabinet member for transport Steven Broadbent said in a statement: “We are carrying out temporary repairs all over the county to ensure our heavily used roads are in safe condition for all road users.

"We investigate all reports of potholes and road damage reported to us and can confirm that we will inspect the pothole on Whelpley Hill as a matter of urgency and respond accordingly to address any defects."

He urged residents to report potholes online via FixMyStreet "if they see a defect that could be dangerous."