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A local council found itself in the spotlight after issuing a penalty charge notice (PCN) to a motorist whose vehicle had been damaged by a pothole on a road under the council’s jurisdiction. Matt Fellows, from Newton in Derbyshire, recounted to the BBC that his tyre “exploded” following damage sustained on Cragg Lane. Stranded on a nearby road in Alfreton where parking restrictions apply, Fellows was surprised to discover a £70 fine placed on his car’s windscreen by a civil enforcement officer before he had the chance to replace the damaged tyre.
Derbyshire County Council later confirmed that the penalty charge would be rescinded after the story was brought to their attention. However, Fellows maintains that the fine should never have been issued. “It’s awful, it’s absolutely awful,” he said. “We were… in the wrong place but we were only parked there because the car was broken down. And to come back and find we’ve then had a ticket as well is not the best feeling in the world. Beyond that, it seems that roads are getting worse and worse weekly.”
The tyre in question burst on High Street in Alfreton when Fellows had to mount a kerb to allow a police vehicle with flashing lights to pass, though he believes the damage had already been done earlier after hitting a pothole on Cragg Lane. “We knew we’d hit it, it made a rather loud noise as we went through it, but we hadn’t realised the damage at that point,” Fellows explained. A mechanic told the BBC that the damage was “classic pothole damage.” While Fellows arranged for the tyre to be replaced, he and his partner Sadie Elliott waited outside in the cold, only to return to a parking ticket on their car, despite the hazard lights being on.
Following an appeal from Fellows after the PCN was issued on 23 January, the council reviewed the evidence and agreed to cancel the notice. Councillor Charlotte Hill, cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, stated: “In this particular case, the penalty charge notice was issued as the vehicle was seen by a warden to be parked in contravention of the yellow line waiting restriction in operation along High Street, Alfreton, and no-one was with the vehicle. Once a PCN is issued, there is a comprehensive process which allows people to appeal and, having reviewed the evidence provided in this case, we will be cancelling the notice and notifying them of the decision.” The pothole on Cragg Lane has since been repaired.
Potholes remain a major concern in Derbyshire, forming a central topic in recent local elections. Discussions arose on whether the county deserved its unofficial title as the “pothole capital of England,” given that over 90,000 potholes had been repaired there in 2023. The council disputes this label, pointing to differences in how repair statistics are collected compared to other areas. While the council has advised Fellows that he may file a compensation claim for his vehicle damage, he acknowledges the process may be complex. Reflecting on the incident, Fellows said: “To be honest we’re quite grateful it happened where it did happen, other than the parking ticket that came from it, because we weren’t far from the M1 [motorway] and had it happened there, it could have been a far uglier experience.”
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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