Ford Focus RS - Damage caused by loose drain cover

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Mon 9 Jun 2014 14:54
Ford Focus RS - Damage caused by loose drain cover - kez_j
Hi,

A loose drain cover on a council owned road has just caused damage to my tyre and my alloy wheel. I wasn't speeding, it was a 30mph road and I was doing the speed limit. As I am a bit precious about my car I am always careful to look at the road ahead in order to avoid the usual pot holes. However, what you can't account for is a loose drain that doesn't look loose from afar. As I went over the drain (no choice due to where it's positioned in the road), it flipped and has damaged both the tyre and the alloy wheel.

Am I able to claim from the council and if so, what is the best way to go about it? It's not only the damage it's caused it's the danger to road users, especially motorcyclists.

I'm not looking for a huge compensation payout, just the cost to repair the alloy and repair/replace the tyre.

Thanks in advance.
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Mon 9 Jun 2014 15:59
Ford Focus RS - Damage caused by loose drain cover - bathtub tom

Was it a drain cover (adjacent to the kerb) or a manhole cover?

If the latter, then it may possibly be the responsibility of the utility company.

Did you report it to prevent others suffering similar damage?

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Sat 14 Jun 2014 09:49
Ford Focus RS - Damage caused by loose drain cover - RT

You'll need to show negligence by whichever authority the cover comes under - for instance in the case of vandalism or theft which has just happened, the authority can't be expected to repair/replace the cover instantly but can be expected to do so within a reasionable time.

So you'll need evidence of how long the cover had been loose.

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