A LARGE pothole outside a popular country pub claimed around 20 cars - and a tractor - in just ONE day.

Terry Walker, one of the drivers caught out by the hazard on the main road outside Mannington’s Cross Keys Inn, near Wimborne, has been left facing a recovery and repair bill of around £2,000.

Terry, a pest controller from Poole, said: “It blew two of my tyres out on the work van, buckling both wheels as well.”

Cross Keys Inn landlady Vivien Howard, who reported the pothole to council officials the day before Terry’s accident, said she’d witnessed a steady stream of drivers puncturing their tyres after running down the hole.

Vivien said: “We had torrential rain the week before and the gullies at the side of the road cannot cope. The pothole has grown since last week. You cannot see it because of the rain - but by Friday it had got to the stage where a number of cars started hitting it.

“I would say at least 20 cars punctured their tyres on Sunday - even one of the tractors had to pull up.

“It is actually very dangerous - someone could have had a serious accident.”

Council workers attended the scene, late afternoon on Sunday, and coned the pothole off.

Terry, who was driving along Holt Road around 4pm on Sunday, when his tyres were blown out, said: “The impact buckled the rims of two of my wheels.

“I was invited to sit in the pub by the landlady - while I was sitting in the pub, every time a car went over it, it sounded like a bomb going off. People were hitting it that hard, it was incredible.

“There was a car coming past on the other side of the road, so I had no choice to go through what I thought was just water. I was only doing the speed limit,” he said. “Every time two vehicles pass at the same time, the cars are getting their wheels punctured.”