A WOMAN who was left “panicked” after her car suffered a burst tyre due to a large pothole on the road travelling from Dalry to Saltcoats is seeking a reimbursement from the council to account for recovery costs.

Lillias Love, 56, was heading for coffee with a friend on April 21 when her car hit a “huge” pothole which caused significant damage to the car wheel and tyre, resulting in the vehicle having to be collected by a breakdown lorry.

The subsequent repairs have cost her nearly £400 and since the incident was caused by a defect on the road, she thinks the council should cough up.

Ms Love claims the council were aware of the defect from an inspection in February and had 60 days to make any repairs. The woman was then informed by the council that the area was inspected again in March, with workers noting repairs still had not been carried out.

After the woman complained, the pothole was fixed the very next day.

She said: “When I hit the pothole, it was half five at night. It was a busy, narrow road and I was approaching a corner so couldn’t go into the middle because there were cars coming the opposite way. I was too close to the edge and couldn’t avoid it. I hit it before I even knew it was there and the car went down immediately.

“I phoned my insurance but they don’t cover for that. I panicked and didn’t know how I was going to get home. Roadside recovery cost me £385 but the council aren’t interested. They knew a significant pothole was there and had still not been repaired.”

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “All claims made against the council are investigated thoroughly.

“Our Roads Service complies with the Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice for managing our road network and we assess all claims to confirm whether our responsibilities have been sufficiently met.

“The pothole was determined as a category three defect and was repaired within the requisite timescale. As such, the council is not liable in this instance. We would advise anyone to contact insurers or seek legal advice if they are not happy with our decision.”