Driver says pothole left him with £1,000 bill

The pothole on Watney Close first appeared in April

A pothole in south London reportedly damaged cars on a regular basis, with one driver saying he spent more than £1,000 on repairs.

Drivers said the pothole near Reedham Station in Croydon damaged their cars as they tried to access their homes or the station at the end of the road.

London and Quadrant Housing (L&Q), the association responsible for the road, was criticised for "dragging their feet" on repairs, despite apparently being aware of the issue for months.

The pothole was fixed on Friday and David Lewis at L&Q said: "We're sorry residents had problems with a damaged road surface and we apologise for the time it's taken to put things right, and the inconvenience this caused."

'Steering gave out'

The pothole, which first appeared in April according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), was located on Watney Close, a cul-de-sac serving Reedham Station.

The road serves hundreds of flats, all of which passed over a badly damaged former speed bump at the bottom of the street.

During a visit to the area, residents told the LDRS damage caused by the pothole had become a daily problem.

Resident Stewart Hastings said: "I've never seen a pothole this big.

"I was coming home from work once and saw a van stop after going over it. I thought he was here to fix it, but he told me he felt something snap.

"His steering gave out, and he couldn't move the van. He was stuck there."

Another resident, John Areola, said: "I've just come back from the garage in Crawley.

"I had to get new shock absorbers fitted after going over this so many times. I paid over £1,000 for them and had to take a day off work."

John Areola said he had spent more than £1,000 on repairs to his Audi because of it

Samir Dwesar, Croydon Council councillor for Purley and Woodcote, said he had been "inundated" with requests from residents for the pothole to be fixed and prevent further vehicle damage.

However, he told the LDRS efforts to resolve the issue had been hampered by what he called "mixed messages" from the landowner L&Q.

"Since May, they sent conflicting messages to residents, our MP, and myself," the Conservative councillor said.

"The council has been very clear that the responsibility for dealing with this pothole lies with L&Q."

Tory Croydon South MP Chris Philp said it had taken L&Q "far too long to fix this hole" and urged them to resolve it "as quickly as possible".

Mr Lewis, the executive director of property services at L&Q, said: "The delays have been due to complications in confirming who is responsible for repairs to Watney Close, which have only very recently been resolved."