A “dangerous” pothole that a cyclist hit in a fatal crash in Weybridge was the subject of “shoddy” Surrey County Council repair work, an inquest heard.

Ralph Brazier, 52, of Basing Close, Thames Ditton, died at the junction of Weybridge Road and Hamm Court on March 1, 2016.

Mr Brazier, whose feet had been strapped to his bicycle, landed “head first” in the road after somersaulting over the handlebars after he struck the sunken drain cover at about 7.50pm.

Paramedics worked roadside for more than 90 minutes to resuscitate him but he died from trauma to his spine.

Mr Brazier, described as a “keen cyclist” by his wife Karen, had been riding with members of the Twickenham Cycling Club on their usual 25-mile Tuesday evening circuit when he hit the pothole, a three-day inquest at Woking Coroner’s Court was told.

Concerned neighbours initially reported the "dangerous" and "appalling" pothole to Surrey County Council on January 25.

Addlestone resident Robert Cullen said he had reported the pothole on the council's website after observing it "getting worse" over the Christmas period.

He said: "The tilt on the grill was getting worse, it was tilting down. I'd seen it gradually deteriorating."

After a temporary repair on January 28 by county council contractors Kier, which involved the drain being completely tarmacked, a second and permanent repair was carried out on February 12.

But residents and drivers saw that the repair had started to fall apart just days later.

Mr Cullen said: "The tarmac around the grill started to break up, it was only a few days later. It was quite noticeable it had broken up. I was about to report it again when I saw orange markings around it, so they must've known it needed a repair."

Philip Goldring, who lives in Hamm Court, told the inquest on Monday, February 20, that the works had appeared "shoddy" and "cheap".

David Ellis, who led the investigation on behalf of Surrey County Council after Mr Brazier's death, said that the drain had been fitted incorrectly, and was set at 90 degrees in the wrong direction.

He added that the flanges connecting the drain gully to the pot below were incorrectly placed, with the side furthest from the road - where the drain is more exposed to car and HGV wheels - was left without a flange.

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Assistant Coroner Christopher Sutton Mattocks asked: "If you're missing one of the flanges is that likely to cause problems?"

Mr Ellis responded that it would.

He added: "There's no reason to do that. In my opinion it's in the wrong orientation."

His report, summarised by Mr Sutton Mattocks, found numerous blockages in the drainage system, causing floating water below the grill. This in turn, he suggested, likely led to the weakening of the tarmac.

Paul Wilson, an area safety defect manager for the county council, said the pothole had been classed with a 'P2' priority - meaning it should be repaired within five days.

He added that the council receives between 70 and 100 'P2' notifications for potholes each day, in comparison the council receives one 'P1' notifications - the most serious - a day.

Dr Daren Austin, sportive secretary for the cycling club, said the team had been riding in a ‘through and off’ sequence – rotating positions along the road in a two-line formation – when Mr Brazier moved to the back of the queue.

Footage taken from a camera on the rear of Dr Austin’s bicycle and played to the court showed Mr Brazier’s front wheel slide into the pothole before his back wheel reared up, throwing him into the road.

Dr Austin said he ran to him after hearing a loud “bang”.

He said: “I was shouting for him and checking his pupils and his breathing. He was unconscious. He didn’t appear to be breathing. He had a strong pulse which I never let go of.

“I gave him CPR until the paramedics arrived. When his mouth was open there was considerable swelling around the tongue and neck.”

The inquest continues.