A motorcyclist suffered a broken shoulder, ribs and internal bleeding after he hit a 'pothole' and slid into a rain ditch.

Jim Dodds, 56, was driving his bike along a country lane in Swindon, Wiltshire, when he hit a damaged patch of road - and slid into a gulley which runs along the side of the road.

He didn't spot it because he was rounding a bend, and went over the front of his bike, which spun into the carriageway.

The dad-of-three was left with a broken shoulder, broken clavicle, bruised lung, minor internal bleeding and a few bruised ribs.

And when he told Swindon Borough Council, in a bid to make it safer, he was upset when they told him the rain ditch was "meant to be there", he claims."

Jim, a furniture fleet and transport supervisor from Tetbury, Gloucestershire, says since the accident his insurance has tripled to £780.

"The council denied responsibility there was no third party to claim insurance with so I had to claim on my insurance which means my policy has now gone up and I'm paying pretty much triple to what I was paying before," he said."

After the accident on July 14, 2024, Jim was treated at Swindon Hospital and was off work for six weeks, and had to take on a new job with less pay.

"Six weeks is a very long time when you are stuck at home with a broken shoulder and not doing anything," he said."

"The accident happened before we were supposed to have a new open-plan kitchen, and everything has gone against it."

Jim said his partner, Helen, 54, a dental nurse, had to return to work since the "horrendous" incident."

"I couldn't carry wardrobes upstairs with a broken shoulder, and they've made space for me but I'm desk-bound," he said."

"I came into the hospital, and I came out two or three days after."

"Swindon council said, 'It's not our problem and meant to be there'."

But Jim went down a few weeks later after the crash and noticed the "rain gulley" was filled in."

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: "If Mr Dodds isn't happy with the outcome of his claim, he can follow the established appeals process."