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Yesterday, my wife hit a pothole in a road. Her car now requires a new alloy wheel and tyre. How do we go about making a claim against the Council responsible for maintaining the road and what evidence/documentation do we need?
Asked on 29 May 2010 by DW, via email
Answered by
Honest John
First you go to www.fixmystreet.co.uk and find out if the pothole
was already reported to the relevant council. If it had been and the council had done nothing about it for at least a week, then you may have a claim. If it hadn't been reported you don't have a claim, but you should still use www.fixmystreet.co.uk to report it. Basically a council cannot be expected to check every road for new potholes every day, and then fix them that day. But it can be expected to fix
reported potholes within a 'reasonable' time. The fact that a large number of speed humps and cushions have actually caused potholes is no excuse for the council. The council is directly liable for installing them and for any damage they cause.
was already reported to the relevant council. If it had been and the council had done nothing about it for at least a week, then you may have a claim. If it hadn't been reported you don't have a claim, but you should still use www.fixmystreet.co.uk to report it. Basically a council cannot be expected to check every road for new potholes every day, and then fix them that day. But it can be expected to fix
reported potholes within a 'reasonable' time. The fact that a large number of speed humps and cushions have actually caused potholes is no excuse for the council. The council is directly liable for installing them and for any damage they cause.
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