Expensive pothole

jay_woodfield34

2 days ago i was travelling down a local country road when I hit a pothole. Well, I say pothole, it was more like a crater at the side of the road. It was the type of road where the edges of the tarmac are raggedy and it's literally tarmac, bit of dirt/stones then shrubbery about another foot away. Travelling within the legal speed limit, I was travelling quite far on my side (as there was passing traffic) when there was about a 25cm pothole on the edge of the road that my front passenger wheel dropped into. It immediately dent the rim (badly) and caused a flat tyre. After changing the wheel and driving away, something didnt seem right so I took it into a local garage. They have since shown me that the suspension spring has snapped, as to has the wishbone, to a total cost of £300 (plus another £40 i suspect for a new standard alloy wheel).

Do I have a valid claim against the council and if so, what are the best actions for me to take? I am going out later today to take a photo of the hole with a tape measure inside and will include today's newspaper as evidence of the date. I will also have copies of the repair bill.

I wish to have all angles covered and follow the correct procedure, so that the council doesnt try to worm out of it as I feel they will. My only concern is that the pothole was not a lone hole in the middle of the road, but it "lead on" from the edge of the tarmac, sort of as if it was an indent to the already rough edge.


Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.

johnnyroper

jay_woodfield34 wrote: »

2 days ago i was travelling down a local country road when I hit a pothole. Well, I say pothole, it was more like a crater at the side of the road. It was the type of road where the edges of the tarmac are raggedy and it's literally tarmac, bit of dirt/stones then shrubbery about another foot away. Travelling within the legal speed limit, I was travelling quite far on my side (as there was passing traffic) when there was about a 25cm pothole on the edge of the road that my front passenger wheel dropped into. It immediately dent the rim (badly) and caused a flat tyre. After changing the wheel and driving away, something didnt seem right so I took it into a local garage. They have since shown me that the suspension spring has snapped, as to has the wishbone, to a total cost of £300 (plus another £40 i suspect for a new standard alloy wheel).

Do I have a valid claim against the council and if so, what are the best actions for me to take? I am going out later today to take a photo of the hole with a tape measure inside and will include today's newspaper as evidence of the date. I will also have copies of the repair bill.

I wish to have all angles covered and follow the correct procedure, so that the council doesnt try to worm out of it as I feel they will. My only concern is that the pothole was not a lone hole in the middle of the road, but it "lead on" from the edge of the tarmac, sort of as if it was an indent to the already rough edge.


Any help with this matter would be greatly appreciated.

i claimed off council a few years ago no problem.

get a couple of pitures showing width/depth using tape measure also a good idea to have newspaper in shot so it can be dated.
then get in touch with highways dept of council they will send claim form fill it in and send back with the invoice they should reimburse you.

just re read your post and noticed i said mostly what you had already said concerning pictures.