Pothole collision saw rider break 3 bones and write off £2.5k bike

Chris's cycling holiday's off too

- Thomas Cooper

EXPERIENCED cyclist Chris Barber suffered broken bones and wrote off his £2,500 bike - after hitting a pothole on the A34.

The 67-year-old was thrown off while cycling along Newcastle Road, in Trent Vale, at a pedestrian crossing near The Black Lion.

Now Mr Barber, of Ash Bank, is planning to take action against Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

He said: "It had been raining so I couldn't make out the potholes until the last minute. There were two potholes, one after the other. I dodged the first but ended up hitting the second. It threw me off my bike into the kerb.

"The impact of the landing bounced me back into the road again. Luckily the cars behind me stopped quickly and people got out to call an ambulance. I'm really grateful to everyone who helped."

Mr Barber was taken to the Royal Stoke. He broke his collarbone, a shoulder blade and a rib. He also needed 11 stitches to fix a tear on his wrist and suffered 'extensive bruising' on the left side of his body 'and a few other places.