The most expensive pothole in Peterborough: Council pay £10,000 bill over Ferrari damage

The most expensive pothole in Peterborough cost the council £10,000 after a man damaged his '˜pride and joy' when he drove into the hole.

Scott Nicholas (44) was driving his Ferrari 458 along Main Street near Ufford when he hit the pothole.

The £150,000 Italian sports car suffered damage to its suspension and wheel, and was taken off the road for three months as a result while parts were sourced from Italy.

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As a result the council were forced to pay £10,000 for the repairs at the Small Claims Court - when fixing a pothole would have cost on average just £53 - making it the most expensive pothole in Peterborough.

Mr Nicholas said: “I was driving along the road at about 10.30pm in May last year, when I hit something in the road. The passenger side door air bag went off, and I nearly crashed.

“The car is my pride and joy. I don’t take it out very often, and I don’t use that road at all now - but have never used it very often.”

Mr Nicholas, who bought the Ferrari six months after selling his manufacturing business, said he reported the incident to the council, with an insurance claim.

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He said: “I had to take them to the small claims court to get the money back.

“It was a huge pothole. It could have knocked someone into the other lane of traffic and caused a crash.

“I hope this will make the council take more care with the roads. They have to get this sorted. People have had so many horrendous accidents as a result of potholes.”

A Peterborough City Council spokesman confirmed the claim was the biggest they had paid for pothole related damage. They also said it was the only claim they had been forced to pay out on related to potholes in 2016/17.

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The spokesman added: “Knowing the damage potholes can cause we have an active inspection and maintenance programme and over 6,000 potholes were repaired last year. With hundreds of roads to monitor we encourage residents to help as much as they can by reporting any problems as soon as they see them - over 500 were reported last year. They can do this by calling 01733 747474 or reporting issues on our website.”

The council said a report by The Highways Agency said it cost an average of £53 to repair potholes.