A Glasgow driver has been left fuming after a pothole she hit at 21mph on Garscube Road burst her tyre.
Ashley Smith was making her way along the street, near Cowcaddens Subway Station, after leaving the cinema with her friend when she struck the hole.
The 33-year-old revealed that the hazard was unavoidable due to darkness and wet road conditions.
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She told Glasgow Live: "It was dark and quite wet which didn't help matters because I literally did not see this pothole at all.
"I was in the left lane and there were people coming in the right-hand lane so there was no way to escape it. I either had to swerve into the right-hand lane or swerve onto the pavement right next to a bus stop where people were standing, so I had no choice but to hit it.
"My dashcam says 21 mph and that's exactly what I hit it at. It burst my tyre instantly. As soon as I hit it there was a big impact and I knew something wasn't right.
"So I pulled over, put my hazards on and checked my tyres. Air was fizzing out the tyre, I could hear it. I managed to pull off the dual carriageway and go into a side street.
"Luckily my mum's partner came out to change my tyre because me and my friend had no idea how to change it."
Following the incident, the mum-of-one was forced to part way with nearly £100 to ensure her car was back on the road so she could take her son to nursery.
However, issues are ongoing and Ashley doesn't know whether it is worth keeping the car anymore due to the hassle. She has submitted a claim to the council.
The 33-year-old explained: "I had to get a new tyre fitted and that was £92.
"But there is still something wrong with the front of it, you can just tell. It makes weird noises when I turn the wheel full lock so I need to get it booked into a garage to have a look and that's the bit I'm scared about.
"I don't even know what they are going to tell me. I'm at the point now where I might just trade in the car to avoid trying to pay for whatever is wrong with it.
"I had an MOT test not that long ago so those tyres are just a couple of months old."
Although the hole on Garscube Road caused the damage, the driver noticed a number of potholes around where she stays near Pollok.
She believes that if the potholes aren't fixed the safety of road users could be severely impacted.
Ashley said: "Around about my area it's so bad. I've been cautious and missing them all whilst I've been driving around here, that one on Saturday night I just totally missed it.
"Now I'm too busy looking down at the road rather than actually driving. I'm focussed on swerving out of the way of potholes rather than purely driving which is really dangerous.
"I'm sure a lot of other people are the same."
A spokesman for the council said: “Potholes can appear suddenly at any time and will be caused by factors such as heavy rain or flooding, ice, snow and the impact of traffic on the road surface.
“Winter is always a challenging time for road conditions due to the effects of the weather.
“During December Glasgow experienced its lowest road surface temperatures in 12 years, followed by long periods of rainfall, which is a damaging combination for road surfaces.
“Our responsibility is to ensure we have in place an appropriate system of road safety inspections and repairs that tackles the most dangerous faults as a matter of priority.
“We always seek to undertake first time permanent repairs wherever possible, but modern materials can provide an immediate and durable solution when necessary.
“The roads network is inspected on an on-going basis but we urge people to report any road faults to us directly so they can be properly assessed and included in an appropriate repair programme.
“We are currently deploying additional resources to deal with the impact of this winter’s weather on the roads network and have staff working round the clock to undertake repairs.
“All claims are determined on the individual merits of each and in the context of our road safety inspection and repairs policy, which is based upon national guidance.”
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