A particularly perilous pothole I highlighted last week has been fixed – but not before it caused serious damage to the cars and bank balances of unsuspecting drivers.

The helluva hole in High Road, Epping, outside Ladderstile Farm is no more, finally filled in by those hardworking highways heroes. Hurrah!

However, this only followed what can only be described as crater carnage over the weekend when the police were called after a number of motorists fell foul of the crumbling megacrack.

Flat tyres, wheel cranks, AA vans and frustrated faces aplenty could be spotted as motorists repeatedly hit the hole.

The unfortunate Sheila Byrne, 59, of Brickfield in Coopersale, was one of those affected on Sunday.

She was left with a £145 repair bill, which she is hoping to be compensated for by the council.

“I heard a bang and thought I’d killed someone,” she said.

"My wheel was warped and the tyre was completely flat.” 

Samuel Curtis, from Loughton, also fell victim to the venomous vehicle vandal.

He said: “After slowing down to let an oncoming car pass we hit an enormous pothole.

“There was an AA van and two cars which appeared to be changing wheels as a result of the pothole.

“A further 200m up the road there were another two cars which were changing wheels.

Mr Curtis punctured his tyre and is also seeking compensation.

Police placed cones around the hole to warn motorists and it was fixed by the Monday morning rush hour.

Elsewhere, I have located four more potholes in dire need of attention.

One was easily spotted in light-coloured tarmac outside the Fiat and Nissan dealerships in High Road, Epping, at the junction with Church Road and Brook Road.

Paul Rumsey, 35, sales manager at Glyn Hopkin Fiat dealership, said: “The pothole has been there since last winter and coming up to winter it’s only going to get worse.

“We have recently put claims in for tyre damage. The last claim was in August. We usually have to claim about once every couple of months.”

Two more potholes were spotted close together in Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey.

One is on the southbound carriageway and the other on the northbound stretch, between the junction with Beechfield Walk and the roundabout junction with the A121.

The final find was nearby in Greenfield Street, Waltham Abbey.

I'll keep you updated.