Broken Tire Hits Pothole: Driver Fined IDR 1.6 Million

ALFRETON, KOMPAS.com – A car driver in Derbyshire, England, received a ticket for stopping in a prohibited parking area, even though his car tire burst because it hit a pothole.

Newton resident Matt Fellows said that his car tire burst after hitting a pothole on Cragg Lane, so he was forced to stop on High Street, Alfreton City, which is an area where parking is prohibited.

However, at that location, civil law enforcement officers actually issued a parking ticket (Penalty Charge Notice/PCN) worth 70 pounds sterling (around Rp. 1.6 million) which was taped to the car’s windshield.

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“It’s terrible, absolutely terrible,” Matt told BBCquoted on Saturday (7/2/2026).

“We were in the wrong place, but that was because our car was damaged. It was a very unpleasant feeling when we came back and saw that there was a traffic ticket on the vehicle.”

Chronology of Matt’s car tire breaking

The incident started when Matt and his partner, Sadie Elliott, were traveling through Cragg Lane.

Their car ran over a fairly large hole, but at that time neither of them realized the damage to the tires.

While driving in Alfreton Town centre, Matt pulled over to the curb to make way for an oncoming police car with its emergency lights on. That’s where the damaged tire wall finally broke.

“We knew we had hit a hole. There was a loud sound at that time, but we didn’t realize the tire was damaged,” he said.

Even though he was aware that traffic rules did not recommend drivers ride on the sidewalk, Matt admitted that he did not want to block the road for emergency vehicles.

The mechanic who examined photos of Matt’s tires said that the damage was typical road hole.

After the tire blows out, Matt calls a service company to replace the tire. While waiting, he and Sadie bought warm drinks at the cafe because the air was very cold.

However, when they returned to the car, they found a yellow parking ticket stuck to the front of the vehicle.

“We thought the flat tire and hazard lights would alert the officers, but apparently not,” said Matt.

The traffic ticket was issued on January 23, 2026, and Matt immediately filed an appeal.

Also read: Fake Police Ticket Cars on the Road, Turns Out They Are Real Police