A COUPLE is calling on Hampshire County Council (HCC) to take a different approach to how it assesses potholes after one of the pair was involved in a horror crash while cycling.

Martyn and Roxelle Kimberley were out cycling with their riding group, Oakley Peddlers, on September 2 when Roxelle went through a pothole sending her flying over her handlebars and landing on her face.

As the group were cycling along Brimpton Road, Tadley, the cyclist’s vision of the pothole was obscured by sunlight coming through the trees which hangover the road.

As a result of the incident, Mrs Kimberley, 32, lost a number of teeth, broke her upper jaw and split the skin from her nostril to her upper lip.

Mr Kimberley 37, of Wayside Road, Basingstoke, told The Gazette: “We were cycling in small compact groups, as you often see cyclists do, and because of the light we had no prior warning of the pothole.

“One of the group I was in went through the road defect and it punctured both his tyres, so we gave word to pull to the side, so he could repair the tyres.

“Next thing I hear is a shout of “man down” and I turn back and see it is my wife. Some of the group had put her in the recovery position and she was vomiting up blood. It was a really horrible situation to be part of.”

The 37-year-old said the couple have been talking with lawyers who contacted HCC about the defect in the road, but Mr Kimberly claims that HCC has no records of any defect in the road and therefore are not liable for the crash.

However, Mr Kimberley said that the authorities last inspection of the road dates to before his wife’s incident.

He added: “Surely even if the county council is not going to take responsibility, this is a safety matter.

“One of our group did report the defect and I think it took nearly six weeks to fill in.”

A spokesperson from HCC said: “We are unable to comment on any claim that may be in progress.

“However, we would point out that there is no automatic right to compensation - each claim is investigated to determine liability, as it is essential to ensure that council tax payers