HUGE potholes are appearing in Worcestershire's roads following heavy rain and flooding across the county.

The surface is breaking up in a number of places around the county, endangering drivers.

One Worcester man says he has been left without the use of his car after it was damaged when he inadvertently drove over a pothole in Baynham Drive, off Spetchley Road, Worcester.

Colin Prince, of Whitewood Way, Worcester said: "I heard a bang as I drove over the pothole, but continued on my journey. However, when I got home I saw my tyre was deflated and when I took it to the garage they said I had damaged the inside wheel rim and the steering.

"Now I am left without my car while it is repaired. It is just digraceful that the roads are being left in this state. I rang the county council but no-one wanted to take responsibility."

Mr Prince said he did not see the pothole, which he said was about two feet wide and six inches deep, as his vision was impaired by the sun.

He said: "The council just patch these potholes and they do not last. As soon as there is more rain they appear again. Someone needs to take responsibility for this."

A number of large potholes have also appeared along Tybridge Street, St John's, Worcester, and the A443 Worcester to Tenbury Wells road in the past few days.

Worcestershire County Council announced last September that it was planning to borrow £15 million from the Government to repair 350km (217 miles) of residential roads in the county following the summer floods.

A spokesman for the county council said: "The recent bad weather has opened up a number of new areas of road and we have inspectors out assessing these."

"If anyone feels that the state of the carriageway was in such a state of disrepair that it contributed to an accident, they can contact us to carry out a claim through our insurance."

Following last summer's floods Cropthorne's main thoroughfare, the B4084, was split in two creating a 16ft deep and 24ft wide hole, which became known locally as the "Cropthorne Canyon".

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