Driver calls for end to pothole misery after having to replace wheels seven times in four years

Andy Buddin drives a Citroen C3 and says within the last four years he has been forced to replace his wheels seven times due to damage caused by holes in the road.

His particular gripe is around the Hill Park Estate, in Jarrow, where he says it is the worst he has ever seen in the 29 years he has lived there.

South Tyneside Council say an inspection of the area is currently being carried out as part of a monthly check of roads in South Tyneside.

Charity fundraiser Mr Buddin, 53, said: “The roads here are terrible. It is definitely the worst I have ever seen it in the 29 years I have lived here.

“As far as I know the road has been resurfaced once or twice since I’ve lived here. I know they put a new bridge in a while back so it may have been resurfaced twice.

“The car is only four years old and I have had to replace the wheels seven times already. They’ve also had to be re-aligned due to hitting the pot holes.

“They’re dangerous. When you are driving, you spend most of the time trying to avoid them and sometimes you have to go onto the other side of the road.”

Mr Buddin added: “What do we pay our taxes for if this is the state of the roads? I have lost count of how many potholes there are on the road leading up to the Hill Park estate.

“This is a bus route. I’m surprised the bus companies haven’t complained. It’s about time the council did something about it.”

Earlier this year, it was announced South Tyneside was to get a £183,836 boost from the Government to tackle potholes caused by the winter weather.

The money is on top of the £75 million in government funding already given to councils from the Pothole Action Fund this year, as well as the additional £46 million boost for highways authorities announced just before Christmas.

A spokesman for the council said: “We appreciate that having well maintained roads is a top priority for our residents.

“For that reason we carry out a monthly inspection of the borough’s major roads and bus routes which includes Hill Park Road.

“This is being carried out at present and any potholes identified will be fixed on site.”