DRIVERS in Worcestershire say they don’t want to fork out for fellow motorists who wreck their cars on potholes.

Readers contacted the Worcester News after we featured the story of Derek Jones who is battling Worcestershire County Council over a £165 bill for damage to his car caused by a pothole.

The 54-year-old, of Norton, near Worcester, wrecked his car’s suspension and burst a tyre after going over a massive pothole in nearby Church Lane.

But the council has refused to compensate him despite knowing about the pothole the day before the incident.

Now readers have largely backed the council’s position claiming payouts would add to financial problems and put a burden on taxpayers.

Carl Beavers, 39, of Mersey Road, Ronkswood, Worcester, said: “I damaged my car last year on a pothole in Spetchley Road and it left me with a £190 bill.

“I was hopping mad about it, but if we all went asking the council for money, it would cripple them.

“I sympathise with the chap, but I don’t see why taxpayers should pay for other taxpayers unlucky enough to go over one.”

Mum-of-two Maggie Noble, of Droitwich, said: “When I read the story my first thought was, ‘you’ve been done a bad turn, but why should we pay for it’? I suspect that loads of people have damaged cars this way.”

Another reader, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “Perhaps you would like to ask the Norton pothole driver whether he would have seen a pedestrian as this is a rather dark road at the best of times and he should have been driving accordingly – as a rate payer I do not wish to pay for his repairs.”

Mr Jones, who has been considering taking his bill to the small claims court, has insisted that he was right to ask for the money.

“When I paid my road tax I was led to believe it’s meant to compensate for things like this,” he said.

“I am absolutely not trying it on. The tyre was reasonably new and had a good 12,000-15,000 miles left on it. This is a genuine case.”

County Hall has refused to say why it rejected his claim, but revealed that teams are out filling around 200 potholes a day following the harsh winter.