A man who fell down a pothole is taking legal action against North Yorkshire County Council.

Philip McGoldrick, who lives in Scarborough Road, Norton, broke his foot when he was returning home after an afternoon out with friends on September 1, last year.

The 59-year-old has suffered a number of complications to the original injury, leaving him unable to work or leave the house without assistance.

He said: “I’d been for a meal and had a lovely afternoon and was walking back home having a bit of a laugh and joke. I wasn’t particularly looking where I was going when I put my foot in a pothole and fell.”

Mr McGoldrick, who works at Malton bacon factory, said one of his friends helped him home and when he removed his shoe and sock, it was clear his foot was broken.

“I was in tremendous pain and called an ambulance, which took me to York District Hospital where they put a pot on it and kept me in for three days,” he said. “I went back after six weeks to see the consultant, but when they took the pot off for some reason it hadn’t healed properly, so they put another one on.”

Mr McGoldrick was told not to put any weight on his foot, leaving him virtually housebound for 12 weeks.

“Getting up and down stairs was very difficult at first and I had to rely on neighbours and friends to get things for me,” he said.

Mr McGoldrick said he was fed up with the situation. “I now have an air cast, which allows me to put weight on my foot and I am hopeful that when I go back to hospital next week I will finally get some good news and bring these seven months of misery to an end,” he said.

“However, the doctors have said I have suffered so much muscle wastage I will face weeks of physio.”

Mr McGoldrick said that since his accident the potholes near his home had been filled in.

“It just annoys me so much that we pay all this council tax and get nothing done for it,” he said.

“The county council should take more responsibility for potholes, both on the pavement and the roads before someone else suffers a serious accident.”

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council said they could confirm that a claim had been made.