A father riding a motorbike died after hitting a pothole that the council was aware of and failed to fix for more than five months.
Biker Andrew Freakley was catapulted off his bike into the path of an oncoming car after he hit the huge pothole that council workers had twice flagged for repair over 154 days.
The 43-year-old mechanic had been overtaking a van when he clattered into the one-metre-square pothole. He was riding home to Meir.
Stoke-on-Trent council was aware of the pothole on May 7 following an inspection. It was then flagged again on September 11.
Mr Freakley, known to friends and family as Andy, died on September 25. The pothole was only fixed on October 8 – 154 days after the initial inspection.
The biker’s stepfather, Kevin Freakley, questioned why the pothole had not been fixed sooner.
The council’s representative, Stephen Lovatt said that it was not deemed ‘an urgent defect’ because the pothole was in a hatched area in the middle of the road.
North Staffordshire coroner Lindsey Tonks said: ‘Andy was an experienced rider.
Biker Andrew Freakley, 43, was catapulted off his bike into the path of an oncoming car after he hit the huge pothole that council workers had twice flagged for repair over 154 days
‘He was used to riding that particular motorcycle and he was used to that stretch of road, but unfortunately as a result of the motorcycle becoming destabilised, Andy was unable to correct it and it led to the outcome.
‘I’m satisfied from the evidence that this was a completely unavoidable situation for the Volvo driver who had taken all measures he could do to avoid the collision but was unable to do so.’
The coroner added that Mr Freakley had not been driving dangerously despite driving 10mph over the speed limit – saying that he was performing a ‘simple overtake manoeuvre’.
She added: ‘It’s clear from the evidence by the council that they’d identified this defect and its need for repair and it was aimed to be repaired within 45 days and there’s no dispute it didn’t happen within the timeframe.
‘The collision with the pothole destabilised the motorcycle and Andy was unable to stabilise it and slid into an oncoming car and died as a result of fatal injuries.
‘This was a terribly tragic incident on that day and I’m sorry the family has had to go through that.’
After Mr Freakley’s death, tributes were paid to the mechanic and forklift driver.
Andrew’s family said: ‘A loveable rogue, with a heart of gold, you have left us with a great big hole.
The 43-year-old mechanic had been overtaking a van when he clattered into the one-metre-square pothole
Mr Freakley, known to friends and family as Andy, died on September 25 2025
‘A loving son, father, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, partner and friend.
‘God has decided he’s got a job for you, son, in the heavenly garden above, instead of down here on earth.
‘You will be deeply missed.’
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesman said: ‘This was a tragic incident and our sympathies are with Mr Freakley’s family and friends. As the inquest heard, this pothole was inspected in May 2025. It was assessed as being in a lower risk category because of its size and position in an area marked with diagonal lines between the two main carriageways.
‘We have a strict risk-based approach to scheduling repairs, in order to make the best use of limited resources. The pothole involved in this incident was repaired in October 2025.
‘Over the past two years we have significantly increased the number of potholes and defects we have repaired in Stoke-on-Trent. But we know there is much more to be done and that our roads – like those in other parts of the country – are suffering from years of underinvestment by national government. We have recently diverted additional resources into road repairs and will continue to prioritise this issue.’
