Mum criticises council after 'flying' loose cat's eye causes over £1,000 in car damage on busy road near Northampton

The Parker family were driving down Welford Road at Spratton on the evening of Thursday, February 6, when the incident occurred.

The council says inspectors found “no immediate safety concerns” on the road in question.

Vanessa Parker said: “My husband and son were driving down the road when a bus, coming from the opposite direction, must have caught a loose cat’s eye. It flew sideways into my husband’s car, damaging the bumper and suspension. The car is now a write-off. Insurance has estimated over £1,000 worth of damage. So it’s not just potholes to avoid now – it’s flying cat's eyes.

"It could have been worse – it could have gone through the window. I’m grateful it didn’t, but something needs to be done about these roads.”

She continued: “It’s a state and a worry with all the HGV lorries using this road, possibly loosening these cat’s eyes, and school buses, too.”

The mother went back down to inspect the road the next day and said there were “many holes in the road” and cat’s eyes missing.

She said: “I counted many holes in the road and missing cat’s eyes when I returned the next morning. With so many cat’s eyes missing, it’s much darker at night.”

She says she has reported the issues to West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) but claims they had “still not been fixed” over the weekend (February 15).

In response, WNC said its highways inspectors visited Welford Road on Friday (February 14) and found “no immediate safety concerns or loose cat's eyes”.

A WNC spokeswoman said: “We have identified some remedial repairs required that will be completed on a P4 (low risk) priority, although where possible we will aim to complete these repairs sooner. More information on how we categorise repairs is available on our website.

“The state of roads is a national issue; however, the council has invested an additional £10 million during 2024/25 into improving roads and footways across West Northamptonshire.

“Residents can continue to support this by reporting issues via our website or on the West Northamptonshire Council app.”

On the topic of claiming against the council, a recent FOI by this newspaper revealed that over 18,000 potholes were reported in West Northamptonshire last year, while compensation payouts dropped sharply from £19,000 to just £3,000.