‘Massive’ pothole causes Hartlepool rush hour chaos just days before National Pothole Day

Motorists hit the pothole on the A179 between Hartlepool and Wingate on Thursday as the sun set and traffic grew heavy.

Stephanie Lowe, 51, was left stranded at the roadside for four and a half hours on Thursday night as she waited for a recovery vehicle.

Stephanie heard a massive bang, followed by a warning from her car’s safety system saying she had lost tyre pressure.

She said: “I am a lady who was sat in a lay-by in the pitch black in a car I couldn’t drive.”

She added: “It really frightened me. It really shook me.”

Durham County Council has since completed temporary repairs and has promised a permanent fix next week.

For Stephanie, however, this is just another expense that she cannot afford after the Christmas period and a recent trip to Iceland.

Stephanie, who works in Wynyard as a care home manager, said: “This car is my livelihood. It’s how I get to work.”

Stephanie son, 29-year-old Lewis Ashley Wright, came to support her and said: “When I first got there, there were only two other cars there but then before long, more and more were joining.”

Lewis, who was shopping when he received the call from his mum, said: “It was like something from a movie.”

He added: “It was comical. You couldn’t write it.”

Lewis, who works in Peterlee and uses the route every day, said the pothole seemed to appear overnight.

He said: “If you look at the rest of the road, it is all falling in.”

One motorist, who wishes to stay anonymous, added: “My car hasn’t had any noticeable damage yet but I am going to get it checked at the weekend in case the alignment or tracking has gone to pot and if so I’m going to aim to get some compensation.”

Mark Readman, Durham County Council’s head of highways, said on Friday: “We were notified of the pothole on the A179 and a temporary repair was carried out last night to make the area safe."

He added: “Further temporary repairs were completed today, with a view to a permanent fix next week.”

Ironically, National Pothole Day takes place on Sunday, January 15.