A MOTORIST has traded in his limited edition car after losing four tyres to potholes in as many months.

John Slumbers has sold his sporty Volvo 850 T5R – one of only four left in the country – and bought a sturdier vehicle to cope with Huddersfield’s roads.

The Marsden man made the decision after hitting a pothole in Newsome last week, causing £300 of damage.

The accident happened after Mr Slumbers turned left from King’s Bridge Road on to King’s Mill Lane around 7.30pm last Thursday.

Mr Slumbers, 29, said: “There was a line of potholes on the left-hand side between 1.5in and 2in deep. In the dark you just can’t see them because the area is not well-lit.

“I was only doing 30mph but there was a massive bang and the car started to weave. I had a flat tyre and a damaged rim.”

It was the fourth time that Mr Slumbers has had to replace a tyre on his 300-horsepower Volvo.

He said: “It’s happened to me on Tintern Avenue in Milnsbridge and Warehouse Hill Road in Marsden. On another occasion I only realised I had a flat when I pulled up in Tesco Express on Wakefield Road after coming through Moldgreen.

“It’s ridiculous, it’s so annoying.”

Mr Slumbers, who runs engine tuning company Kudos Technical, sold his Volvo after the Newsome accident.

He said: “I wanted to own a nice vehicle and the car I had was one of only four left in the UK, only 2,500 of them were made.

“But it’s not practical to have a car with a sporty suspension, the roads just aren’t good enough. I’ve bought a Peugeot 307 with big chunky 15-inch tyres.”

Mr Slumbers added: “I lived in the South for years and I never, ever had to change a tyre because I hit a pothole. I’ve never known a place like Huddersfield.”

Meanwhile, a Kirklees Council spokesman said yesterday that highways staff were working hard to deal with potholes caused by the recent cold snap.

He said: “We have assessed every street in Kirklees and begun the process of repairing the damage caused by the severe winter weather so far.

“The number of potholing gangs was increased to 10 from the usual two and they have already repaired about 3,200 potholes in less than three weeks.

“This important work has cost £90,000 to date, but the council released an extra £600,000 to deal with the damage left behind by almost a month of snow and ice.

“All councils are faced with a similar problem and it’s estimated there are well over one million potholes on British roads. We are committed to tackling the local situation as quickly as possible.

“Some of the bigger works, such as patching, are also under way and extra teams of staff remain in place.

“Obviously such a major operation takes time and could be affected by more bad weather, but we will continue working hard to complete it.”