Couple from Diss fear huge bill after their Range Rover hits pothole in Cullum Road, Bury St Edmunds

A couple are fearing a bill of hundreds of pounds after their Range Rover was one of seven vehicles damaged by a pothole on a key route in Bury St Edmunds last night.

Dom Martin, 40, and wife Zoe, 34, who live near Diss, were driving down Cullum Road, at 6.10pm when they hit the pothole.

Zoe, a passenger at the time, alongside three-year-old daughter Crew, said: “We were driving along and there was this massive bang.

“We had our little girl in the back of the car and she screamed - it shook her that much.”

Dom then pulled over and saw the Range Rover had a flat left front tyre and engine management alerts about the vehicle’s suspension.

“My partner has spoken to a mechanic, by the sounds of it it is going to cost an awful lot of money to repair, so I think they are going to write the car off,” said Zoe.

After pulling over, the couple were approached by three drivers who had hit the pothole.

By the time their Range Rover had been recovered, there were seven damaged vehicles by the side of the road and one of these belonged to an elderly couple.

Dom, who rides motorbikes, said he tried to report the pothole, which is close to a traffic island, to police.

He believes it is a potential danger to motorcyclists.

However, the police were unable to do anything and told him to report it to Suffolk Highways.

“If I had phoned the police and said there was a wheel or item in the road they would have attended immediately to either make the roads safe or make road users aware of the potential hazard,” said Dom.

“But the pothole was just as much as a hazard yet they (the police) weren’t interested.”

Zoe, who posted about the ‘massive pothole’ on Facebook, was told this morning there are now traffic lights on Cullum Road.

She said: “It’s nice to see they’ve done something, it’s a relief.”

The couple are without a vehicle which they rely on as Dom has a back problem and is off work on long-term sick leave and Zoe cares for him.

They are unsure if they can afford the repair bill but will be submitting a claim for damages.

There are 12 reports about the pothole on the road, close to the Greene King brewery, which has been there for more than a week.

Suffolk Highways has been approached for a response.

According to its website the traffic lights will be in place until February 24, due to a ‘dangerous pothole’.

Suffolk Police said they would not comment.