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A businessman fears a main road pitted with huge potholes could be the scene of a serious crash – after blowing a tyre along the stretch.
Josh Magill, who runs mobile café Karma Coffee, was towing his wagon from Canterbury to a lock-up in Faversham when it struck the hole.
Angry businessman Josh Magill reveals the extent of the pothole problem
The vehicle’s tyre burst as it came into contact with an “extra-large” pothole after Mr Magill joined the A2 at Harbledown.
The livid 31-year-old is urging Highways England to take immediate action to resurface the carriageway, amid concerns the craters will widen.
“The tyre was three weeks old and had almost all of its tread and rubber left on it,” he recalled. “It was such a significant impact that the tyre completely deflated on impact and then was cut multiple times by the rim of the wheel.
“Someone could have a bad accident. It’s so treacherous.
“They’re getting worse as lorries go over them regularly. It is incredibly dangerous, and it’s not like it’s a new issue.”
Having launched the business three weeks ago, Mr Magill says he's noticed the condition of the major route has deteriorated since he started making the commute between the storage facility in Faversham and Canterbury high street.
In footage recorded on his dashcam, he counted 12 potholes along a 30-metre stretch of the A2 after the Boughton turn-off.
The city centre trader was able to get his vehicle repaired in time for the beginning of the following day, but believes others won’t be so lucky.
“Luckily, I knew enough people to get me back on the road quickly and we managed to trade the next day – but for someone else it could have been a lot worse,” he said.
“There are so many potholes that you’re literally having to snake in the road to avoid them. It’s incredibly dangerous.
“They’re so big that if you hit the pothole at 70mph, it’ll immediately blow the air out of the tyre, and then you’d be in big trouble.”
A spokeswoman for Highways England insists that it tries to repair any road defects thought to pose a risk to motorists within 24 hours.
She added: “Safety is our top priority, and on major routes like the A2 we carry out a rolling programme of regular safety inspections and, if required, undertake repairs to keep our roads in a safe condition while causing minimal disruption for drivers.
“We have plans for resurfacing on sections of the A2 in this area in the coming weeks.”
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