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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Iona Young

Gutted single Edinburgh mum-of-four left with £600 bill after pothole wrecks car

A single mum has been left gutted after a large pothole wrecked her car causing multiple defects and a £600 bill to fork out for just weeks after Christmas.

Karen Reilly from Edinburgh, 48, was travelling along Foundry Road in Loanhead on Saturday, January 14 when the car hit a huge hole in the road.

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The mum-of-four who now stays in Mayfield, Midlothian told how she heard a clunk as the car hit and then couldn't steer properly when she continued along the road.

She then had to take a half day off work to take the car to the garage and had to leave it there overnight leaving her without a car to get to work.

Speaking to Edinburgh Live Karen said: "It has cost me over £600 to repair. I don’t have that money spare. Who has that kind of money immediately after Christmas?

"The exhaust has been damaged, along with the suspension. It damaged two sections of the exhaust and the spring on the front of the car, along with a dropped link and top mount they said.

"All for a hole in the road that shouldn’t have been there. It’s a narrow road so almost impossible to miss the pothole if there’s oncoming traffic.

"The council have accepted my claim and today they just confirmed it has been passed on to their insurers. In the meantime, I am £600 out of pocket."

She continued: "I felt the hit and there was a loud metal noise that gave me a fright. I continued my drive home but the steering felt odd and the car just didn’t drive like usual.

"I didn’t drive the car again until work on Monday morning. I went in to work but took a half day, in order to take it to the garage that afternoon. They had to keep the car overnight and I had to borrow a car to get to work the next day."

Karen has now put a claim into Midlothian Council regarding the incident who are looking into it but is not guaranteed compensation for the hefty repair bill.

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A Midlothian Council spokesman said: “Like most roads authorities in the country, Midlothian Council is managing and responding to a number of road defects during this winter season with low temperatures and water damage to carriageway surfaces."

They added: “The council takes the quality of road surfaces and repair of potholes very seriously - and invests considerable time and resource in making improvements and prioritising repairs."

"With regards to Foundry Road, the team will inspect the road today and undertake repairs as considered necessary.”

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