A WOUNDED pensioner has pleaded for action to tackle “monster” potholes around Colchester after he was sent flying over the handlebars of his electric bike.

Ian Pearson, 66, had hoped to surprise his wife and granddaughter in Colchester with breakfast, after riding the 25 miles from his home in Skelmersdale Road, Clacton.

Instead, he was to spend the day in Colchester Hospital’s accident and emergency department.

At around 8.30am on Monday, in Shrub End Road, his front wheel hit a pothole which was covered by the shade of a nearby tree.

He was sent hurtling over the handlebars, his bike helmet taking the force of “a potentially fatal” blow to the head.

It could have been worse if not for the acrobatics displayed by Mr Pearson – a retired electrical engineer.

“I remember having the presence of mind to ‘parachute roll’ on landing,” he said.

“My shoulder took the brunt of the fall and my head took a secondary blow to the pavement.”

Gazette: - Ian Pearson on a recent holiday with his wife, Sally- Ian Pearson on a recent holiday with his wife, Sally

Mr Pearson has issued a heartfelt thanks to staff at the nearby NHS day care centre who rushed to his aid.

They tended to his injuries and took him on to Colchester Hospital, where an X-ray revealed he had broken his collar bone in two places.

He was given a sling and painkillers before being discharged, with an expected six-week recovery time.

“I am using my bike as a means to keep fit as I am 16 stone and at risk from type-2 diabetes,” he said.

“I’ve been told I have to keep my arm immobilised for the next six weeks. As a pensioner this is likely to take longer, as I find your body takes longer to heal the older you get.”

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Mr Pearson called for action to tackle potholes around Colchester “before someone is killed”.

He said: “I had noticed a number of monster potholes while traveling through Colchester from the Hythe which were even larger than the one I hit.

“When are these potholes going to be filled in? These could cause the death of a cyclist.”

Despite the pain in his shoulder, Mr Pearson couldn’t resist one final quip.

He said: “I became a pensioner last month. I also got my bus pass.

“Maybe that's a sign for me in the future to just let the bus take the strain.”

An Essex Highways spokesman said: “We are sorry to hear about the injury sustained by the cyclist and wish them a speedy recovery.

"Road user safety is our highest priority.

“We carry out regular inspections of our highway network to identify defects, which are risk assessed in line with our maintenance strategy which is published online.

"Additionally, when an issue is reported to us, we can send an inspector out to carry out an adhoc inspection risk assessment.

“The outcome of the risk assessment determines the priority of any repair or make safe measure.

"We have to prioritise our work and fix the higher-risk issues first."