A DANGEROUS pothole which led to a teenage girl being thrown from her bike and into the path of a car had been reported to the county council a week before.

The 18-year-old Rochford girl was left in a life-threatening condition at the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, after her condition deteriorated.

The teen came off her bike, in Southend Road, Rochford, after hitting the pothole and fell into the path of a silver Renault Clio.

She is now stable, although her injuries are serious.

The Echo has learned the pothole was reported to Essex County Council a week ago by a cyclist, who broke his shoulder and collarbone, after hitting the hole, and Rochford district councillor Jill Lucas-Gill, who feared it would be a danger.

Dan Makin, 40, of Ashingdon, who was in hospital for a week after hitting the three-inch hole, said: “Thankfully, I hit the pavement and avoided the cars, but that was pure luck.

“I reported this to the highways department when I left hospital.

“This accident was completely avoidable and it’s disgusting this young girl has sustained these injuries. It seems someone needs to lose their life before action is taken.”

Mrs Lucas-Gill said: “I am constantly reporting potholes and when, and if, they are repaired, I am always amazed at how badly they are done.

“I know the county council pay exorbitant amounts of our money to the contractors, so why are they not making sure repairs are done correctly?”

Police have been been investigating the scene of the crash, just a couple of hundred yards north from the Anne Boleyn pub, since the girl was transferred to the Royal London Hospital.

The driver of the silver Renault Clio has not been arrested following the crash.

A police spokesman said: “Following assessment at Southend Hospital, the cyclist was transferred to the Royal London Hospital for further treatment for her injuries, which are now described as life-threatening.

“Police inquiries into the circumstances around the incident are continuing.

“At this point noone has been arrested or reported for motoring offences.”

The lack of action on the pothole comes at a time when County Hall is flush with cash to deal with them.

Thanks to a £4.4million allocation from the Government recently, the council now has £17.5million to improve the road network across the county.

An Essex County Council spokesman said: “A report of a defect in Southend Road, Rochford, was received on June 25 and scheduled for inspection within 28 days. In light of Monday’s accident, this was brought forward and an inspector visited the site to determine whether any immediate action was required.

"National Grid engineers have since been on site to carry out works to the road surface.

“We are aware of the severity of the girl’s injuries and our best wishes are with her and her family.”