Published 2026-05-12 · By Ovi C Bhowmick
Hitting a pothole hard enough to damage a tyre is an increasingly common experience on Birmingham's and the wider West Midlands' roads. What you do in the minutes after it happens matters — both for your safety and for any compensation claim you may want to make.
The first thing to do after a pothole impact is stay calm and pull over safely. If you feel a sudden change in how the car handles — a pull to one side, a heavy vibration, or the car riding unusually low on one corner — ease off the accelerator and steer smoothly towards a safe stopping point. Do not brake sharply. Activate your hazard lights and stop somewhere safe — off the carriageway if at all possible.
Once stopped, assess the damage. Look at the tyre: is it visibly flat or losing air? Is there a bulge or split in the sidewall? A pothole impact can cause a tyre to go flat immediately if the sidewall splits on impact, or it can cause internal structural damage — a sidewall bulge — that looks minor but makes the tyre immediately unsafe to drive on. If you see any bulge at all, do not drive on the tyre. A bulging sidewall is a tyre that can fail completely without further warning.
Check the wheel rim too. Alloy wheels are particularly vulnerable to pothole damage — a heavy impact can crack, chip, or bend the rim. Even a slightly bent rim will prevent the tyre from sealing correctly at the bead, causing air loss. Rim damage also affects wheel balancing and, if severe, can compromise steering geometry.
Can the tyre be repaired? In most cases of pothole damage, no. A sidewall split or bulge cannot be safely repaired — the only safe solution is replacement. If the tyre has gone flat but there is no visible sidewall damage, it may be a bead leak or a tread puncture caused by debris, which in some cases can be repaired. We will always inspect the tyre fully before advising you either way.
Claim compensation for pothole damage. If a pothole has damaged your tyre or wheel, you may be entitled to compensation from the relevant local authority — Birmingham City Council, Wolverhampton City Council, Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley, or Coventry — depending on where the pothole was. To make a claim: photograph the pothole immediately (with a reference object like a coin for scale), note the exact location and road name, photograph your damaged tyre and wheel, and keep all receipts for repairs. The council has a legal duty to maintain roads to a reasonable standard and can be liable for damage caused by known or reportable defects.
Call TT Mobile Tyre Fitting 24/7 on 07762 455291. We cover all of Birmingham and the West Midlands — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — and we carry a wide range of tyre sizes in our van. In most cases, we can replace your pothole-damaged tyre on the spot, wherever your car is, within the hour.