A mother whose Christmas dinner was 'ruined' when she was injured by a pothole says craters are blighting the lives of people living in her block of flats.

Birch View in Epping has three craters at least three inches deep and between 30 centimetres and 1.5m in diameter.

The road provides access for residents to 30 flats and is regularly used by adults and children.

Mother-of-one, Raphaella Wiley, 30, was injured on Christmas Eve as she cycled home and hit a pothole in Birch View at about 5.30pm.

She said: “I didn’t see the pothole in the dark and I hit it and came straight off.

“I injured my jaw and grazed my chin when I hit the road.

“It ruined Christmas dinner. I could hardly eat and my jaw still hurts now.”

District councillor for Epping Hemnall, Janet Whitehouse, has been supporting residents' claims for compensation from pothole incidents and is particularly concerned about cyclists.

She said: “It’s frustrating to see the same potholes reappearing after the repairs have been done. I’m particularly concerned about cyclists in areas where there’s insufficient street lighting.

“Essex County Council should take account of residential roads more because cyclists often prefer them and they also have large potholes.”

Roger Payne, 71, who lives in Birch View, is also annoyed by the lack of repairs in the street.

Mr Payne said: “I have to be very, very careful, especially at night, because they don’t show up in the dark at all.

“The potholes there now appeared over the course of last winter and as far as I’m aware, no repairs were done last year at all.”