Pothole fells pensioner
A MAN who broke his arm when he fell off his bike after riding into a pothole says he is prepared to repair the hole himself after what he sees as Buckinghamshire County Council's (BCC's) failure to act.
Keen cyclist Colin Cork, 64, fractured the upper part of his left arm when he hit the pothole while riding his bike at the junction of Ledborough Lane and the A355 near Beaconsfield on August 31.
He wrote to the council telling them what had happened and demanding that something be done to repair the damaged section of road, but says that although the council responded to his emails, no repair work has yet been done.
He now says that unless the road is fixed soon, he will fill in the hole himself, despite currently having the use of only one arm.
Mr Cork said: "When I hit the hole it seemed as if I had suddenly hit a brick wall and I was thrown from my bike onto the tarmac. I think my head hit the road first, but luckily I was wearing a helmet. I dread to think what state I'd have been in if I hadn't.
"I was left flat out on the ground unable to move and in excruciating pain until the ambulance arrived.
He was taken to Wexham Park Hospital where it was found he had fractured his humerus in two places. Shortly afterwards emailed BCC to inform of what had happened and asking for the hole to repaired without delay before any more injuries occurred.
Now that no action has been taken almost two weeks since the incident occurred, Mr Cork says he is prepared to fill the hole himself in order to ensure that similar accidents do not happen in the future.
He said: "It is ridiculous that nothing has been done after what happened to me. I am not interested in seeking compensation, but this pothole has been shown to be dangerous and it needs to be fixed. Filling it in would be a maximum of a five minute job, so if I have to take it upon myself to sort it out, then I will."
Chris Schewier, BCC's local area co-ordinator, said: "We were very sorry to hear of Mr Cork's injury and have taken the matter very seriously. When we were made aware of this incident our technician carried out an inspection of the road and found that there were no dangerous Category One potholes, but there were potholes of a more minor nature. He arranged for these to be repaired straight away.
"We make every effort to respond to letters and emails from the public as quickly as possible, and on this occasion, had done so. Mr Cork's eagerness to make sure that this pot hole is filled in is completely understandable, but he can be reassured the work has now been carried out."
BCC carried out work on some pot holes in the road on Monday.
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