A driver whose car was written off after hitting a giant pothole says she intends to pursue a claim for negligence against the DoI in the small claims court.

Regulatory compliance officer Lizzie Coulson, 18, was driving along Little London Road, close to her home in Kirk Michael, in November last year when her BMW struck the pothole at the side of the road.

She had only bought the second hand 2013 BMW M-sport, then valued around £7,000, three months earlier.

Miss Coulson said: ‘As I approached the second bend following the exit from the Cronk-y-Voddy, another vehicle approached me.

‘The driver did move themselves over to allow space to pass by. However, it was still a tight fit and I moved slightly to the side to allow more room.

‘Unfortunately, undergrowth which covered a section of the road had an extremely damaged and dangerous section of tarmac beneath.’

After the incident, the engine oil light came on and Miss Coulson topped up the oil but the following morning the engine oil light came on again and she took the car to the dealership.

An inspection found the oil sump had been punctured and the car had been sustained severe damage which she described as ‘terminal’.

Her car has not left the dealership since.

Since the incident, the undergrowth has been cut back and a cone placed over the pothole. Repairs were carried out on February 19.

Zurich, the DoI’s insurers, say the department can’t be held liable as it was not aware of the pothole.

In a letter to her father, Zurich said it could only offer a settlement payment if there's proof the incident was caused by their customer's negligence or a breach of duty.

It said that having reviewing all the information available, it haven't found any evidence to support this was the case.

Zurich said the road in question is inspected annually and the last inspection before the incident was in April last year when the defect was not found or considered to be dangerous.

It said that although previous concerns had been raised about drainage issues and the general condition of the road, there were no previous complaints about the specific defect.

An email sent to Miss Coulson on March 3 on behalf of Infrastructure Minister Tim Crookall said Little London Road is maintained to the level appropriate for a local access road.

It said: ‘Vegetation clearance at this location is the responsibility of the local authority or adjacent landowner.

‘As you will have been informed by the insurers, the department cannot be held liable for a defect which it was unaware of.’

But Miss Coulson said she believes the defect in the road had been present and deteriorating for at least the last 15 years.

She said she intends to lodge her claim in the next month or so.

‘I am waiting for my insurance claim to pay out so I know how much to attempt to claim back from them,’ she explained.