A “neglected” traffic island on a busy High Wycombe road has left frustrated drivers with punctured tyres - but the council will not fix the problem until September.

Nicole Polycarpou has complained to Bucks County Council about the dangerous island on Hatters Lane - which is no longer clearly visible to drivers due to a lack of a bollard and there are no warning signs to let them know about the danger - after her partner had both his driver side tyres punctured and his rims damaged on July 3.

When Ms Polycarpou arrived at the scene to assist her partner, she claims four other drivers also incurred damage to their vehicles “within 20 minutes”.

She now fears that something serious - like a fatal crash - could happen if repairs are not made soon.

She said: “It was evident that the road’s condition is very dangerous and thus have had to escalated this to the police by dialling 999.

“According to a resident that lives on the road where these incidents have happened, this particular island is very frequently broken by lorries that drive over it while they exit the school gate of the school that is located on the opposite side of the road.”

Since she reported the incident, a temporary sign has been put up warning of the danger, but she wonders when the council will make a permanent improvement.

She said: “If we hadn’t got the police involved, who knows how long it would have taken the council to do something about it.

“If this island is subject to getting damaged so frequently, why hasn’t the council come up with more permanent solution to this problem - or is the council waiting for a fatal accident to take place before they proactively do something about this?

“It is extremely disconcerting to know that our hard-earned money paid to the council each month is taken for granted like this. To allow the local road conditions to remain in such a state is unacceptable, completely irresponsible and negligent to say the least.”

Ms Polycarpou says she has notified the county council that they will be seeking compensation for the damage caused to the car.

She said: “All of us that have suffered as a result of this want to know what the council intends to do to put things right and ensure the local roads - including Hatters Lane - are safe and in the best possible condition they can be.”

A Bucks County Council spokesman said repairs cannot be made until September because a full road closure will be required to complete it.

They said: “Unfortunately, this island is frequently damaged by passing traffic. The damage this time was substantial and we cannot carry out proper repairs without a road closure.

“Temporary safety measures have been put in place today [Thursday] and we are planning to complete full repairs to the island in September alongside other road improvement works.”