Multiple cars damaged at Bury St Edmunds pothole blackspot as new data reveals scale of county-wide problem

‘Sheer carnage’ gripped a Bury St Edmunds neighbourhood in the latest spate of pothole-related accidents – as the scale of the problem blighting the county’s roads was revealed.

Residents in Mount Road on the Moreton Hall estate spoke of the roads becoming like a game of Mario Kart as drivers swerved to avoid craters.

Meanwhile, a Freedom of Information request by SuffolkNews has found the number of pothole reports across Suffolk increased by 180 per cent in the space of a year.

Suffolk Highways received 5,509 pothole reports in 2022, but this snowballed to 15,423 the following year. There may be multiple reports for the same pothole.

The data also showed Suffolk Highways repaired 20,449 potholes in 2023 – 6,383 more than in 2022.

A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council (SCC), which runs Suffolk Highways, said highway authorities up and down the country were battling with worsening road conditions due to the cold and wet winter weather.

But Adrian Graves, of Great Barton, who has been vocal about the poor state of the roads, said: “There are other places that have worse weather than us and don’t have the same problem. I have driven over parts of Finland and they don’t have this problem – and half the time it’s under ice.”

He urged Suffolk Highways to ‘get a grip’.

He added: “This type of management practice would never be tolerated in the private sector. Somebody would be fired. They need an Alan Sugar moment.”

Ben Lloyd, manager of repairs specialist Wheelcare, in Bury, said they had been inundated with pothole damage-related work.

“It’s been crazy. I reckon we get 10 phone calls a day about wheels damaged due to potholes,” he said. “Over the last few months it’s been mayhem to the point we can’t really keep up with it. I have been here 10 years and this is probably the worst I have ever known it.”

Meanwhile, Horringer resident Piers Fuller said potholes he reported on the A143, in Horringer, had only just been repaired.

He came across 15 vehicles within 100 yards of an ‘extremely large’ pothole on February 12.

“There are just more and more potholes developing every day along that stretch of road,” he said.

“There’s no accountability for it by the council. It’s just shocking.”

He said temporary repairs would not solve the problem.

On the Moreton Hall estate, in Bury, several craters opened up along Mount Road, damaging multiple cars.

On Friday evening, Claire Clements said she witnessed ‘sheer carnage’ near the Mount Road junctions to Tassel Road and Appledown Drive.

“I came out and found a lady in her 70s sitting in her car near the middle of the road after hitting the pothole. I made her a cuppa and took her some cake as she was a bit shaken up,” said Claire.

“By then it was sheer carnage – there were six cars out here. I called the police as it was dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. Cars were literally swerving around to avoid the pothole – it was like Mario Kart.

“The roads are breaking up. The longer they leave them, the more problems there will be. Being disabled, I don’t want to smash my car up on a pothole and not be able to use it.”

Debris from damaged cars was still inside one pothole when SuffolkNews visited Mount Road on Tuesday.

The Mount Road pothole had been reported to Suffolk Highways via its online reporting tool more than 40 times by Monday. It is thought some emergency repairs were carried out over the weekend.

Comments by those reporting the issues included: “There is one huge pot hole which has damaged multiple cars and been reported for a number of days now but nothing has been done. There are also multiple other potholes along Mount Road which no doubt will soon turn into much bigger ones. The whole stretch of road needs resurfacing.”

“Severe pot hole, size of a football, approx 300mm deep. Three cars split their tyres tonight,” said another.

And: “How many times do you need this reported before you do something about it? My partner hit it last night.”

A Suffolk Highways spokeswoman said: “We have recently received several reports of potholes in Mount Road. The area will be assessed and any defects that meet our criteria will be ordered for repair.”

The Suffolk County Council spokesperson added: “Suffolk is tackling issues head-on by increasing resource, committing extra funding and trialling new ways of working.

“We recognise there is much to do.”