A GLOBETROTTING TV journalist who has been to the world’s troublespots has fallen victim to Hampshire’s potholed roads.

Richard Gaisford is chief correspondent for ITV Daybreak and has reported on major stories at breakfast time for the past 14 years.

During the past 12 months he has travelled to South Korea, The Philippines, South Africa and last week Ukraine, as well as spending weeks reporting on the severe storms and flooding in southern England.

Richard lives with his family in the Meon Valley and drives more than 30,000 miles each year, mostly in the middle of the night.

Yet in the past month he has lost two tyres to pothole damage, the latest when a new tyre was ripped open by the jagged edge of a pothole more than four inches deep.

The misery was compounded by a locking wheel nut shearing off, which meant that the wheel could not be removed and the car had to be transported home and the offending nut removed by a specialist.

He said: “I understand the council is struggling to keep up with road repairs and is facing huge compensation claims but surely it would make financial sense to repair these roads as quickly as possible, rather than pour more money into paying for damage to people’s cars.

“I’m lucky enough to travel the globe with work, but over the last month I’ve only had to take my own car through the Meon Valley to experience road conditions reminiscent of the developing world.”