A couple are annoyed after being left with a £100 bill when their car was damaged in a Norwich sinkhole.

Norwich Evening News: Engineers inspect a sinkhole in Rouen Road, Norwich.Engineers inspect a sinkhole in Rouen Road, Norwich. (Image: ARCHANT EASTERN DAILY PRESS (01603) 772434)

Sarah and Jamie Clare, 40 and 45, from Ranworth Road in Norwich, drove into a sinkhole by accident on Rouen Road on March 14.

They were reversing into a space by the Norwich Practices Health Centre when it happened at around 9.50am.

Emergency services were called and it took several hours for their red Citroen C4 Picasso to be recovered.

The vehicle was taken to a Norwich garage and the couple had to pay £100 so extensive repairs could be done.

These major repairs to the front of the Citroen were paid for by the couple's Mobility Insurance cover.

But to their surprise they have so far not been able to claim back the £100 on insurance, despite being told that was possible.

Mrs Clare, who cares for her husband, said: 'We had to pay £100 for the garage workers to look at the car. It was an inconvenience. We feel annoyed. The garage said we would get the money back.

'It is a lot of money. It isn't something we can afford.

'We were just reversing into a parking space. It wasn't our fault. We didn't know it was going to be bad.'

At the time of the accident, Mr Clare, who has mobility issues, said: 'I just heard this awful clunk, and I thought I'd hit something, but I hadn't.'

No-one was hurt in the accident but the road was closed for several days while the sink hole was repaired by Anglian Water.

A resident from nearby Paradise Place reported noticing a water leak at the sinkhole site a few days before it opened up.

An Anglian Water spokesman said: 'We're sorry for any inconvenience caused to Mr and Mrs Clare after their car was damaged by a sinkhole on Rouen Road.

'All claims for compensation are dealt with on an individual basis, so we would urge Mr and Mrs Clare to contact our customer service team so we can look into their claim as quickly as possible.'