"I was shaking from head to toe. It was a nightmare": Rugby driver stranded after car hit pothole
A Rugby driver was left stranded, shaken and up to her knees in water after her car hit a pothole.
Gail Wheeler pulled her car over to let a coach through while she was travelling to work in Northampton Lane, Dunchurch, on Monday.
"It was really frightening,” she said.
"My car went ‘clunk’ as it went down the pothole. I was shaking from head to toe.”
Gail had to phone the police as traffic backed up behind her.
"I was up to my knees in water,” she said.
"One person tried to help but couldn’t. It’s an awful situation and it’s all over Rugby.”
Gail, who lives in Brownsover, said the potholes needs addressing urgently before someone is seriously hurt.
"It's absolutely horrendous,” she said.
Multiple burst water pipes this week in Dunchurch have caused loss of supply, significant traffic disruption and damage to the highways.
Cllr Jon Bennett and Cllr Isabelle McKenzie have written repeated emails to Severn Trent.
Cllr McKenzie (Rokeby & Overslade Ward), said the situation is “carnage”.
She said: “We have also flagged to WCC highways that there are potentially significant deterioration of the carriageway (especially Northampton Lane) but also other locations.
“We contacted Warwickshire County Council Highways asking for an emergency road inspection following reports of massive potholes developing in Northampton Lane.”
The councillor has written to the chief executive of Severn Trent on behalf of residents, calling for an investment in local infrastructure.
“Our residents have antiquated water and sewerage infrastructure which is causing real impacts every day,” said Cllr McKenzie.
She said issues include repeated sewage spills, undersized pumping stations with repeated, and in some cases, continuous tanker activity to remove excess sewage and inadequately sized pipes from pumping stations meaning that any excess, especially in wet weather, results in discharges into water courses, ditches, gardens and roads.
Cllr McKenzie said: “It is time for Severn Trent to do better by the residents in the Dunsmore & Leam valley area of Rugby.”
A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said: “Severn Trent are currently carrying out essential emergency repairs on the A426, Rugby Road in Dunchurch, just before the Northampton Lane junction near Bilton Grange School.
"A second emergency closure is also in place on Southam Road along the A426. These important works are expected to continue until 12 February. Diversion routes will be put in place.”
We have contacted Severn Trent Water and Warwickshire County Council for a comment.