A “CRATER” of a pothole has caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to a succession of cars.

Wrecked vehicles lined the side of the street after falling victim to the gaping hole on Lane Head Road in Shepley.

The cavity, about 1ft across and 1ft deep, had been reported to Kirklees Council and even the police, a day earlier, because of the havoc it had been causing.

Council highways workers repaired the hole on Wednesday afternoon.

But drivers are demanding compensation for the cost of repairs to their cars.

Josh Lees, a motor vehicle technician who has worked for Huddersfield recovery company John Shaw for 14 years, was dispatched to deal with three incidents that happened within minutes of one another.

He said: “I’ve never known one pothole damage so many cars in one go.

“It was impossible for them to go around the hole because it was smack bang in the middle of the lane and there are barriers in the middle of the road.

“There were about five or six cars that I wasn’t attending to that were parked up because they had been damaged and numerous cars that were coming down the road with flat tyres.”

Sandra Dickinson, 53, of Sheffield, was on her way to visit her daughter Nicola in Lepton when her Fiat Punto hit the hole.

“You couldn’t miss it,” she said.

“I went over it and my tyre went bang.”

While Examiner photographer Peter Cottle was taking a picture of Mrs Dickinson on Lane Head Road, two other cars were damaged.

Roger Conway and his wife, Mary, were on their way home to Scissett from Holmfirth when they hit the hole.

Mr Conway, 62, said: “It was more like a crater than a pothole.

“As we came down the road you could see the flashing lights of the recovery trucks but you had no room to move around the pothole. There was a bang and I felt the steering go.”

He said he would be asking the council to cover the cost of repairs, expected to be about £500.

Michael and Elaine Compai, of Ingbirchworth, suffered a burst tyre.

Mr Compai said: “While we were waiting another three cars blew their tyres out.

“I didn’t have the local police number so I rang 999 – a front wheel blow-out is a dangerous thing. Of course I’ll be asking for compensation.”

A council spokeswoman said there had been hundreds of pothole reports since the bad weather hit before Christmas.

She added: “Once reported, potholes are given priority if they meet certain criteria. This includes their location in the road, where a vehicle wheel is likely to hit it, or if they are particularly deep.

“Those classed as priority are treated as an emergency repair and the council aims to deal with these within 24 hours of being reported.

“Delays can occur if traffic management is needed to allow the repair to take place.”

She said potholes deemed a non-priority were usually dealt with within eight weeks.

“Any claims against the council for damage to vehicles are investigated and responded to individually,” she added.