A MOTORIST is fighting for £396 compensation from Kirklees Council after a pothole damaged his new car.

Paul Cartwright, 37, was driving his four-month-old Renault Laguna along Steanard Lane, Mirfield, in February when he was forced down the hole by an oncoming car.

The 7in-deep hole caused his tyre to blow and buckled the wheel.

Mr Cartwright had to spend 30 minutes putting the spare tyre on the £15,000 car so he could return to his home in Tolson Crescent, Dalton.

He had to spend £206 on a replacement tyre and was quoted £160 for a new wheel and £30 for tracking.

Mr Cartwright lodged a compensation claim with Kirklees Council.

But it has denied responsibility, saying the road was inspected last December and there were no defects and no attention was required.

Mr Cartwright said: "It felt like I had hit a wall when I went down the hole.

"There was a sudden jolt, like I had hit something solid.

"If I had been driving an older car with an older tyre it would not have mattered as much. But I had only had the car four months and I was gutted."

Mr Cartwright, who is a professional driver for a living, said another worry was for motorcyclists who may use the road.

He said: "If a motorcyclist had gone down the hole it would have thrown them off, possibly into the path of oncoming traffic."

Mr Cartwright took pictures of the hole and several others nearby and sent them to the council.

Kirklees Council still does not accept responsibility.

A spokesman said inspections at that spot were carried out every six months.

He said the previous inspection before the incident was last December, when no defects needing attention were noted.

He said highways officials had no record of the potholes needing attention between the inspection and the incident.

It was thought the potholes developed very quickly because of winter weather, he added.

The spokesman went on: "The council has not exhibited any negligence and can rely on its inspection system as a defence."

He said potholes at this spot had been reported before the December inspection, but highways officials said they had been repaired.

"We have looked on our computer system and cannot find any more claims notified to this section, at this location, around the time of this incident," the spokesman added.