A St Albans psychotherapist facing a £600 repair bill after his car’s wheel was ruined by a pothole, has urged other motorists to come forward and complain.

Damian McCann, 58, was driving home from his work as a consultant at Edgeware Hospital when he hit the pothole at the junction of Drakes Drive and London Road, which he had not been able to see in the dark.

The hole not only punctured the tyre of his Fiat, but also wrecked the wheel’s alloy.

A mechanic’s report said the wheel was buckled and unusable, most likely due to the impact with the pothole.

Dr McCann now faces an eye-watering £619 repair bill.

“I was hoping if other drivers come forward there would be a stronger case on potholes to bring to the council.

“They would have to admit the pothole was a problem and that a number of drivers had fallen foul of it.”

The pothole has since been repaired.

Herts county council said: “We carry out regular inspections of Hertfordshire’s roads to identify which ones require repair. All roads are inspected at least annually but many of them are inspected more frequently. The main roads, for example, are inspected on a monthly basis.

“We inspect the road and, if the pothole meets our criteria for depth and location, we carry out a repair. Those that do not require an immediate response are logged in our system and this information helps us to decide which roads to resurface in the future.”

Visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/highwayfaults to find out how to report a pothole.