Accident debris clearance bill

Quentin

meli89 wrote: »

....However a couple a weeks ago (11th April 2014), nearly 9 months after the accident, I received a letter from Devon County Council for a fine of £104.79 because of accident debris on the road which they say "the council, as Highway Authority, was required to attend and clear this from the highway". They cite the Highways Act 1980 Sections 41 and 130.

The letter says they want this paying within 30 days but no mention of the fine going up if this is exceeded......

They aren't fining you, it's the bill for clearing up the mess they believe you are responsible for.

If there is a third party responsible for the mess, then tell the council, and ask them to train their sights on the third party.

If you (or your partner) are responsible then either pay it or as previously advised pass it to your insurer to deal with.

meli89

I understand now that it is a bill, apologies. English is my second language and I wasn't aware of the difference.

Redx

similar discussion here https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4957615 but its mainly about the fire brigade although it is also mentioned that the ambulance service (or NHS) can and do charge for the emergency treatment , which is something I know about many years ago when a young lad suddenly ran in front of my car and unfortunately I hit him

I am still of the opinion that its a growing trend despite what anybody may personally think about what they pay taxes for, so its been mentioned on various motoring programmes , on the radio like the 5 live link I gave , in the papers , on the news , on tv , and also on various forums where I have also seen it mentioned, especially when the Highways Agency is involved (on major roads and especially motorways) or their private contractors

clearly this council are responsible for that A road and are sending out invoices where they can

my advice to this OP as regards wordings is simple, stick to what the paperwork says and then no confusion can arise , ie:- if it does not say the word FINE , do not use the word FINE , a fairly simple strategy to adopt and one we see many times in this parking fines/penalty notice/invoices forum you have posted in

I have now asked a board guide to move this thread to the motoring section where those other linked threads are

meli89

Thanks, have now amended the title to make it clearer. I realised already it was in the wrong forum as I said in post 2, thanks for asking a guide to move it Redx.

Crabman

I've moved this thread over to the Motoring Board

esmerobbo

As someone who received a bill for over £180.000 when one of my lorries took out a viaduct wall, several lamp posts and yards of crash barrier, they do try to recover costs incurred.

I passed it to my insurance who sorted it!

eddddy

Hi Meli

I think you may be misinterpreting their references to the highways act - I'd say this is just a common law claim for damages.

Essentially... somebody was negligent and caused a crash and left debris on a highway owned by Devon County Council. The council had to clear up the debris, and they want the negligent person to pay for the clear-up.

You (or your insurers) can either pay, or tell them you weren't the negligent person.

Or if you think they are overcharging you, you can ask them to give you a breakdown of costs.

nobbysn*ts

esmerobbo wrote: »

As someone who received a bill for over £180.000 when one of my lorries took out a viaduct wall, several lamp posts and yards of crash barrier, they do try to recover costs incurred.

I passed it to my insurance who sorted it!

Yes, no problem with that. Why should the taxpayer stand the damage caused by other drivers. I pay my tax for normal wear and tear, not damages caused by bad drivers. But it has to be proven the op caused the damage, and not just a witch hunt by the council to top up the coffers.

arcon5

Redx wrote: »

but its mainly about the fire brigade although it is also mentioned that the ambulance service (or NHS) can and do charge for the emergency treatment , which is something I know about many years ago when a young lad suddenly ran in front of my car and unfortunately I hit him

A kid run out in front of you and you got billed for his treatment?

esmerobbo

nobbysn*ts wrote: »

Yes, no problem with that. Why should the taxpayer stand the damage caused by other drivers. I pay my tax for normal wear and tear, not damages caused by bad drivers. But it has to be proven the op caused the damage, and not just a witch hunt by the council to top up the coffers.

Did you see the accident??

Bad driver? It was actually caused by the driver having an epileptic fit (his first) so no blame on him. Although he was never able to drive LGV's again. Also the reason for so much damage as he never even braked.

Did I complain about receiving the bill? I expect to pay or my insurance to pay for any third party damage. However not everything is attributed to bad driving. Some are called accidents for a reason!

As pointed out the third party will try to recover costs, as they should!