Is this the worst pothole in Wigan?

Reports flooded in on Monday night of numerous commuters who had fallen victim to two large pot holes, both on Winstanley Road in Billinge.

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Many of the drivers had been forced to pull over and wait for roadside assistance because the damage to their tyres was so severe.

The potholes are both located on the same stretch of road - with one near the Bag and Bean Cafe and the other located near Windy Arbour farm shop.

The Wigan Post was contacted by Alison Woolfenden who was concerned about the number of drivers stacking up on the side of the road.

“There are lots of vehicles with damage and currently over 20 cars awaiting vehicle recovery,” she said. “We’ve also had damage done to our car. It’s a serious hazard, I just hope no one is seriously injured.”

News of the pothole near the Bag and Bean spread quickly via social media, and numerous motorists wrote that they had reported the pothole to both the council and police but that no one “seemed interested” in fixing the problem urgently.

However, reports shortly emerged of another crater further down the same stretch of road near the popular farm shop.

“The one I hit is 100 yards past Windy Arbour towards Garswood.

“When I hit it it made a very loud bang which jolted the car.

“It’s been there for weeks and has been white limed for repair but it wasnt clearly visable with the road being wet after it raining. On my way home from work, I was following a car that swerved to avoid the one at Bag and Bean.

“I thought they were over taking a cyclist they went that far onto the oncoming carriage. It was then I saw what I thought was a road collapse full of rainwater.”

Disgruntled motorists were quick to raise the question of compensation for their damaged vehicles as the pothole had been previously reported to the town hall.

Some residents suggested putting a claim in to recover any costs caused by the potholes.

Lynda Smith said: “I hit it too around 7pm, not sure what damage it’s done to my car it was too dark to see. There were about six cars in front with their hazards on but as I only live just off Winstanley Road I was able to get home.

“The AA are coming tomorrow, will see what they have to say and I will be reporting the damage to the council too.”

The town hall recently spoke out to defend its work on tackling the borough’s potholes, saying that the number of defects on the roads was reducing.

However, one Whitley resident criticised the authority for only carrying out temporary repairs rather than completing long-lasting works.

A council spokesperson said: “An emergency temporary repair of this particular pot hole was carried out last night with a permanent repair scheduled for today.

“Each winter, we experience more pot holes and highway defects due to the prolonged periods of wet weather and freezing temperatures.

“To combat this, we have increased the number of staff who are able to repair these defects and we recently announced a £500,000 investment in highway maintenance over the next financial year.

“If residents see potholes or other issues around the borough, we encourage them to use the ReportIT app so we can ensure they are repaired and dealt with as quickly as possible.”

There has been a large increase in the number of complaints about pot holes in Wigan in recent years.