IS the Forest becoming Britain's pot-hole grot hole? After a spate of minor accidents in the area and soaring bills for shock absorbers and shredded tyres, many motorists are saying enough is enough.

"There are some very bad examples but the picture is bad right across the Dean," said a Blakeney motorist who had just had his shock absorbers replaced for the second time this winter.

"The Forest maybe isn't the only place to find damaged roads but it looks like we are one of the worst.

"It is only a matter of time before somebody is seriously hurt or perhaps even killed after hitting a pot-hole. Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable."

A spokesman for garage Exhausts, Tyres and Batteries in Lydney said: "We have sold more shock absorbers and coil springs than we have ever sold before this year. I couldn't say for sure what the cause is but it's easy enough to guess!

"We've also had a spate of damaged tyres and many cases where the wheels themselves have been damaged after driving into pot-holes. Something like that can be quite specialist because we don't carry a stock of them – replacements have to be sent away for."

National tyre safety organisation TyreSafe confirms the current 'pot-hole epidemic' is not only causing added financial burden for drivers and councils, but it is also in danger of leading to a rise in the number of tyre related road casualties.

And consumer watchdog Which? found that councils in England and Wales paid out £22.8m in compensation to drivers for pot-hole related-damage in 2012. This year's figures are still mounting.

"Hitting a pot-hole can cause a number of tyre and wheel problems which can have a serious impact on road safety," said Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe.

"Visible damage such as buckled wheels or lumps in the tyre are the most obvious signs of a problem which must be addressed by a qualified professional. However, hidden problems such as cracked alloys can be just as dangerous."

He said one TyreSafe member reported more than 100 customers with damaged alloy wheels visited one of its outlets in just the last month alone.

"If drivers do hit a pot-hole, it's important that they check their tyre pressures regularly over the next few days to see if there is any gradual loss of pressure," he added.

"Hairline fractures in the alloy wheel can lead to air escaping and low pressure can have devastating consequences."

Brian Watkins, Glou­cestershire Highways' local highways manager in the Forest, said: "The wetter than usual summer and autumn weather combined with the usual damage caused during the winter months has led to an increase in the number of pot-holes throughout the Forest of Dean.

"Gloucestershire Highways carry out regular inspection on all of the roads within Gloucestershire on at least an annual basis, with the major roads being inspected on a monthly basis."

Reports of defects from the public are appreciated and can be reported to Glou­cestershire Highways on 0800 0514 514.