Former Bracknell MP James Sunderland had to abandon his Peugeot 308 after it was badly damaged by a pothole on Swinley Road, the stretch between Chavey Down and the A322. He recovered the car the following day.
Mr Sunderland said: “On Thursday evening (January 22), I hit a pothole in Swinley Road. The impact was so severe that it ripped the steering wheel from my hands, burst the tyre and broke the suspension.
“Returning in daylight to recover the car, I was shocked by the state of the road.
He asked whether other motorists had hit the same pothole and urged Bracknell Forest Council to act to avoid more serious incidents.
Mr Sunderland also highlighted past work on roads funding: “I responded to the task by securing an additional £377,000 of bespoke pothole funding for Bracknell Forest Council as part of a wider £8.3bn roads package, and lobbying for more funding in 24/25. This has gone a long way to fixing our roads over the intervening period.
He added: “Two years on, our local services are in decline. Bins are overflowing, litter lies on our verges, our pavements are cracked and our roads are worse than ever, despite higher taxes under Labour. Feel free to disagree if you want but this is obvious to local people who care about where they live.
“So it's now time for a serious team effort to fix the appalling state of our roads, get traffic moving and stop the ridiculous repair bills that motorists are facing. Labour also needs to step up and fulfil their many promises made to residents, restore public services and do more to clean up the borough. I trust that the council will deliver.”
The pothole was reported to the council the day after the incident. Bracknell Forest Council says an inspector attended immediately, temporary repairs were carried out on 23 January and further temporary repairs were made on 27 January. It adds a full, permanent repair will need extensive work under a full road closure, which is being arranged as a priority, and Swinley Road is scheduled for substantial patching soon.
Neil Matthews, assistant director for highways and transport, said resurfacing is prioritised and outlined planned spending. He said: “Resurfacing is prioritised on a ‘worst‑first’ basis, using annual condition surveys of the whole road network.
“This financial year 2025/26, more than £5.3m is being invested in planned road maintenance, including all government funding plus over £2m of additional council funding. Residents can report potholes or repairs needed on the website.”
Mr Sunderland stood at the 2024 general election and was defeated by Peter Swallow, who is now the Labour MP for Bracknell.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
