Skip hire cowboys

[Deleted User]

Wednesday last week, next door's skip hire truck reversed into our shared drive (without my permission), and broke the drains and my manhole cover. When I've hired skips, the driver has refused to reverse up the drive saying that the manhole covers are not strong enough, but still. When I rang the skip co. they said they're not responsible, pointing out the small print in my contract that says so. When I said that it wasn't my contract, they just denied liability and told me the neighbours will have to pay.
I know damned well that the skip co. is liable, but in anticipation that legal fees will cost more than the repairs, I rang my insurance. They said "we're not paying, that's for the skip company, but you are insured for legal costs".
So now I've got all the aggro of getting builders quotes, sending them to the skip hire, waiting to see if they cough up, taking them to court, and getting the work done. Meanwhile the drive will be blocked by a gaping whole for weeks.
It seems that the manhole is an obsolete size, so instead of just buying a new cover, the brickwork will have to be redone to support a smaller cover.
There's also the likelyhood of underground damage to the drain, so I might yet have to get a surveyor's report too.