Nearly 200 emergency vehicles hit potholes

A fire service van was among 171 emergency service vehicles damaged in pothole-related accidents since 2015, records show.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said the van was driving around a corner when it “hit a bump in the road awkwardly and the vehicle veered into the other carriageway and collided with a pickup van travelling in the other direction” in 2017. It is not known if anybody was injured in the collision.

The details were released following Freedom of Information requests to UK police forces, fire services and ambulance trusts.