A DRIVER told how he had to fork out £500 for repairs after potholes and uneven pavements damaged his car.

Car enthusiast Adam Smith, 33, was driving his blue Ford Mondeo ST along Long Road, Canvey, on his way to visit his partner when he struck a pothole.

He instantly noticed he had a puncture but decided to drive slowly until he could reach Bang on Tyres, in nearby Haven Road, to get it fixed.

His car problems soon worsened.

As Mr Smith pulled onto the pavement, he noticed the surface was uneven and his tyres had sunk into a dip- with the front of his car hitting the ground.

The warehouse engineer said: “It cracked the front splitter of the car which in turn cracked the bumper because of the pressure.

“The people in the tyre shop came out and apologised, but it isn’t their fault at all.

“The council should fix the problem.

“The men said that the other day a woman in a mobility scooter had hit the same bit of uneven ground and it had caused the scooter to fall over.”

Mr Smith needed a new alloy wheel as his existing one had cracked when it hit the pothole, as well as a new tyre.

He also needs to pay for the damage to the front of his car.

The total cost of the repairs is expected to reach more than £500.

Mr Smith, who lives in Corringham, reported the problem to Essex County Council via website potholes.co.uk and will be attempting to claim back money to cover his repair bill.

He said: “It is a lot of money.

“I pay my taxes but the roads never seem to be improved.

“I am a member of a Ford car club which meets in Norton Heath.

“Members look after their cars, but this gets more and more difficult because of the state of the roads.

“A lot of the roads on Canvey are really bad.

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “Our local inspector carried out the regular monthly detailed inspection of Long Road on Thursday, July 21.

“No significant defects of any kind were reported on the road, though there are some defects on the pavement which are logged for repair.

“We have contacted potholes.co.uk directly asking them to update their contacts for the council which are incorrect.

“We would urge residents to use our own dedicated online reporting system for all Highways problems at essexhighways.org/Report-a-problem.aspx or call 0345 603 7623.”