Motorists who were victims of the massive pothole on the M25 that caused carnage yesterday on Britains busiest motorway claim National Highways was too slow to warn over drivers.
They have criticised the highways agency, claiming matrix signs to warn other drivers came on too late.
A row of at least 20 crippled cars lined up on the hard shoulder in Surrey after plunging into the chasm on the crumbled piece of Tarmac.
Alloy wheels were cracked and tyres punctured, with drivers telling MailOnline they had to fork out £700 to repair their mangled motors.
Disgruntled people were left between Staines and Chertsey standing in the pouring rain for hours as they waited for repair vehicles to arrive.
It caused one elderly couple to miss their flight from Gatwick to Cyprus as they waited behind the crash barrier for more than six hours.
Motorists who were victims of the massive pothole on the M25 that caused carnage yesterday on Britains busiest motorway claim National Highways were too slow to warn over drivers
A row of at least 20 crippled cars lined up on the hard shoulder in Surrey after plunging into the chasm on the crumbled piece of Tarmac
Martin Sisley was the third motorist to hit the crater and terrifyingly watched on in horror as others fell victim.
It was actually very frightening – we stood watching and hoping that no one lost control from hitting the hole and then ploughed into us, he told us.
Mr Sisley says the matrix signs to warn other drivers came on too late, and says only one lane was initially closed which pushed cars into the second lane where the pothole was - highlighting further the dangers of Britains smart motorways.
There was already two cars there, and no visibility, no warnings – nothing, Mr Sisley said.
We stood there for around twenty minutes watching cars fly past and counting more and more onto the hard shoulder.
The Highway Officers were very slow to get the matrix signs on to warn others, or to act on closing lanes.
The highways agency said yesterday it became aware of the pothole at 6am and contractors arrived within the hour to carry out repairs.
But MailOnline has heard from one BMW driver who plunged into the hole at 3.45am.
Alloy wheels were cracked and tyres punctured, with drivers telling MailOnline they had to fork out £700 to repair their mangled motors
Stephanie Vincents husband was driving home from a night shift. The photo above shows the rear tyre torn on his BMW with the alloy wheel also damaged
Tessa Pearson, 69, was travelling to Gatwick with her 73-year-old partner Graham to catch a flight to Cyprus.
They had passed the turning to Heathrow when they heard a loud bang and pulled over to the hard shoulder when a tyre pressure alert flashed up on their car.
I used the cars dashboard message to dial BMW recovery, she said.
However, I was cut off twice. Being extremely frightened, I pressed the SOS button and when requested, asked for the police.
I duly spoke to a police lady who said that she would get a recovery vehicle, this was required because the car is fitted with run-flat tyres, and we were to get out of the vehicle immediately and get behind the crash barrier.
Within forty-five minutes two other cars pulled up behind us with the same damage to offside tyres.
After three hours of no recover vehicle appearing I dialled 999, as directed by the police lady previously, and asked if our recovery would be arriving soon.
I said we were safe but my main concern was that the traffic was getting so much busier and I could foresee a major accident happening.
The frightened couple eventually called AA and their near seven-hour hell came to an end at 10.15am with the arrival of a recovery van.
A motorists claims only one lane was initially closed which pushed cars into the second lane where the pothole was, highlighting further the dangers of Britains smart motorways
The upshot is that we have now missed our holiday to Cyprus, spent six and a quarter hours totally drenched because it was raining almost constantly and are £525 out of pocket also for two tyres and all four wheels needed re-alignment, she said.
Stephanie Vincents husband was driving home from a night shift. A photo shows the rear tyre wall torn on his BMW with the alloy wheel also damaged.
Unfortunately it burst both of our right hand tyres which is going to cost us over £700 to replace, she said. We are hoping [National] Highways will refund us given it appears to be their issue!
I cant believe the amount of cars that were damaged. Its lucky nobody was injured really.
One motorist wrote on X yesterday: ... massive pothole that took out 20 plus cars this morning on the M25 between the A30 and the M3!!
Ridiculous pothole. 20 plus people on the hard shoulder changing tyres.
Data collected by mobile app Stan the App - which uses AI to spot and categorise potholes scattered through British roads - revealed there had been 95 defects on that section of the motorway alone between January and April this year.
Mike Mockford, product owner of the app, issued an ominous warning as he told MailOnline: I can see this happening every week on National Highways roads.
Because there are so many defects that they are not fixing, like surface area cracks or small potholes. They are only going to get worse with people flying across the motorway at 70mph.
Its only a matter of time before they break a tyre.
Mr Mockford has secured contracts in Malaysia and the US for the use of his Stan the App technology, but he says local authorities in Britain and National Highways arent interested.
It is not currently known if National Highways will be compensating the drivers, but motorists can make red claims if they are injured or have their cars damaged on the highways agencys roads.
This is the staggering moment today at least 20 cars lined up on the hard shoulder of the M25 after being taken out by a massive pothole on the motorway that was hidden by darkness
A row of cars had their hazard lights flashing after being left undriveable when they plunged into the hole in Surrey during rush hour traffic.
Lorry driver Blaine Conway, 39, had one of his tyres damaged on his car and told MailOnline that it was so dark that no one was able to see the pothole
But National Highways warns on its website: We aim to protect the public purse by only settling claims against the company where there is a clear liability.
It adds: However, there is no automatic right to compensation or damages.
The law makes it clear that highway authorities cannot be blamed for everything that happens on their roads. Although National Highways maintains the SRN (strategic road network), it cannot be held responsible for every problem which arises.
Yesterday, National Highways apologised but blamed prolonged rainfall for potholes popping up in the winter months especially on heavily used roads like the M25.
The agency said any defects that pose a risk to safety are repaired within 24 hours.
MailOnline has contacted National Highways for comment.