An Aberdeen driver has issued a warning over a pot hole which left him with an eye-watering repair bill.
Aidan McPherson, 20, was handed an invoice for more than £1,500 after driving down the old Wellington Road near Nigg.
Aiden who lives in Westhill, was driving with his girlfriend to get a McDonald’s meal last night at around 7pm when he drove his BMW 1 Series over a large pothole on the A956 and heard a “large bang”.
He lost control of his car and had to pull into the side of the road to await rescue.
When checking for damage, he realised both passenger side wheels were destroyed and the front alloy completely displaced.
Now Aidan has been hit with a bill totalling more than £1,500, which is almost his entire monthly wage.
Counting the cost of Wellington Road pothole
He said: “The noise was like nothing else I’d ever heard to be honest. It was a very metallic sound.
“Then there was a loud bang and all my warning lights came on in my car and it started going out of control.
“My reaction wasn’t very PG to be honest – I’ll say that.
“I couldn’t steer that well so I had to pull into the roadside. All I can remember is a lot of anger and swear words.
“I had to get towed and it took over three hours for someone to come and get us.”
Aidan is now counting the cost of the poor condition of the road.
“I’m needing two tyres on the passenger side, both front and back,” he continued.
“My alloy is completely damaged and unrepairable so I need a whole new one which is going to cost me £700.
“I also need my wheels realigned now and that is costing me £288. The cost from the garage is roughly £1,500 in total.
“I wasn’t too happy when I got the bill through, shall we say.
“I just got paid and that’s most of my monthly wage gone.”
Wellington Road pothole reported
Now the 20-year-old is facing the process of trying to recoup some of the costs caused by the faulty road.
He added: “I’m in the process of trying to report the pot hole right now. I’ve been told it isn’t very easy so I’m expecting an uphill battle.
“I hope I get can at least something for the damages.
“The pot holes are atrocious – I’ve driven that road many times and I’ve never had any bad experiences until now.
“It’s the first time something as bad as this has damaged my car.”
Drivers take to social media
A number of other Aberdeen road users have also taken to social media to voice their frustrations with the condition of the road just off the A92.
Many claimed they are paying hundreds after their own encounters.
Beverly Davidson said: “It killed my tyre today and now I’ve ended up £150 lighter.”
Yvonne Stewart said: “I was £145 when I was reported this three weeks ago when I burst my tyre on it.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous it’s not been fixed yet. It’s bad enough for cars but incredibly dangerous for motorbikes.”
Laurie Leslie added: “I blew my tyre on that road on Tuesday night. I hit two huge pot holes.”
Emma Hulse claimed: “This happened to our car a week ago, and burst our tyre. We just had a new tyre fitted and I feel bad for everyone in the same position.”
Council investigating infamous road
A spokesperson for Aberdeen City Council said: “The Council has an approved budget of £7.234 million for roads maintenance activities including potholes. Where citizens advise the council of concerns around potholes, they will be inspected and repaired accordingly.
“In addition, the council has committed to invest an additional £19.5 million between 2023 and 2028 in both road and pavement repairs to ensure we continually improve the condition of our roads in our city.”