Authorities have still yet to consider who owns a road which left a man with £165 worth of damage to his car.

Gary Smout from Elmswell had just left the A14 southbound on his way home one night in late March when he hit a pothole on the offslip road at junction 47.

The pothole destroyed Mr Smout's tyre and left him crawling the car up to the nearest petrol station.

At the time he had only had the car for three weeks.

The damage done by the pothole left Mr Smout with £165 worth of bills.

East Anglian Daily Times: Gary Smout has been left frustrated by authorities over the pothole issuesGary Smout has been left frustrated by authorities over the pothole issues (Image: Gary Smout)

Since then Mr Smout has been struggling to find out if he is eligible for any kind of compensation in terms of the damage caused to his car.

Neither Suffolk Highways nor Highways England can confirm who owns the road and therefore who would be responsible for the potholes.

The A14 is maintained by Highways England and the nearby local roads by Suffolk Highways. Unfortunately, who maintains the offslip is unclear.

Almost three months after the damage was done to Mr Smout's car the potholes have finally had some kind of repair but Mr Smout is no closer to finding out who owns the road and to getting compensation.

"They have sent me an email to say they have temporarily filled them in to make them safe," said Mr Smout.

"The road was dangerous."

Mr Smout said he was pleased the damage had been repaired but was still seeking closure on the road's ownership.

"It's on such a precarious part of the road," said Mr Smout.

"But I have been messed about so much now."

He said he would be continuing to speak to authorities to resolve the issue and would be seeking money for the inconvenience he had experienced.

A spokesman for Highways England said that it had carried out work to keep drivers in the area safe.

"Highways England is working closely with our partners in the local authority to confirm who has responsibility for this stretch of road," they said.

"In the interim, we have repaired potholes here to ensure the road remains safe and smooth for drivers.”

Suffolk Highways said that an update would be provided by Highways England following its investigation work.