Pothole Claims
Whilst we may well of seen the last of the snow for this winter, one of the lasting memories many of us will encounter is the dreaded pothole. We have also provided below a concise bullet point list of what you need to do to submit your pothole claims. If you have got issues with potholes, let others know about them by reporting them and writing a story. The above link will take through to a website where you can find advice from people all across the country who have been through the same thing!
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The cold weather, snow and lower temperatures seems to exacerbate the number of potholes seen on UK roads. If you live in Crawley, West Sussex you may well have seen, or worse, driven into the one approaching the width of an armchair on the Brighton road, driving into the town!? This has now been filled in by West Sussex County Council, but only three weeks after first appearing!
Now, obviously the above photograph is not said pothole on Brighton Road in Crawley! However it does beg the question as to ‘how big does a pothole have to be before it requires more urgent action then a white line sprayed around it?
Apparently the law in the UK stipulates that as long as the Council responsible for that part of the country has sprayed a white line around the pothole then this is satisfactory in the eyes of the law. Yes, we also think this is incredulous!
We now have a situation where local Councils are blaming the Coalition Government for cutting budgets for carrying out repairs to roads. No doubt our political leaders will swear blind that enough money is getting through blah, blah, blah. This game of batting the problem backwards and forwards between local councillors and central Government is causing many motorists to proceed with pothole claims for damage caused to their vehicle. Quite right.
So, if your vehicle has been damaged by a pothole on your local road, or even a main trunk road, what to do? Well you would be well advised to obtain legal advice to see whether you have a legal claim. Be aware the the claim will only be paid out if the organisation responsible considers itself to be legally liable, or if a court decides they are legally liable. Below is a step by step guide on what you should do to make a pothole claim:
• Gather evidence (take a photograph of the pothole and damage it has caused to your vehicle)
• Report the pothole to the Authority/Council responsible
• Submit a freedom of Information Act
• Make your claim
• Don’t be deterred (this could be a lengthy process!)
• Be willing to negotiate on any settlement.