help

dawn2557

Can I claim compensation for the inconvenience?   I live on a crescent-shaped road,  on the 5th of January the road works started ripping up the main road across the top of our entrance, they dug up both ends of our roads at the same time and this meant we could not get out, we are blocked in, I am registered disabled and can only get out with the help of walking sticks, and a car, but no cars were able to get to me. so I am stuck where I am, before this, I went to Tesco once a week in my partners' car since this I have had to use delivery and it has cost me twice as much for the delivery and minimum order, we had a letter today informing us that the road will be opened from 26th May till September when they will carry on with the repairs,
is there any way I can get compensation for the inconvenience? anyone help me.

Aylesbury_Duck

dawn2557 said:

Can I claim compensation for the inconvenience?   I live on a crescent-shaped road,  on the 5th of January the road works started ripping up the main road across the top of our entrance, they dug up both ends of our roads at the same time and this meant we could not get out, we are blocked in, I am registered disabled and can only get out with the help of walking sticks, and a car, but no cars were able to get to me. so I am stuck where I am, before this, I went to Tesco once a week in my partners' car since this I have had to use delivery and it has cost me twice as much for the delivery and minimum order, we had a letter today informing us that the road will be opened from 26th May till September when they will carry on with the repairs,
is there any way I can get compensation for the inconvenience? anyone help me.

Assuming it is the local authority that have commissioned or authorised the work, have you spoken to them?  Ordinarily there is a right of access when works are carried out, with denial of access kept to a minimum for essential purposes.  You may have been able to speak to them to make an arrangement for the occasions when you need to drive out.  if you didn't tell them, how would they know?

In terms of compensation, you could put in a claim for your genuine losses to whichever company is carrying out the work, so if you are able to demonstrate that the cost of shopping online is greater than the cost of transport to the supermarket, that's where I'd start, but you may not be successful and I'd have thought that the amounts involved are relatively small.  If you're having to buy more to meet a minimum order, surely you have to order less frequently anyway, for example?  The delivery charge will partially balance what you would have paid for petrol to drive there, for example.  So time to get a pen and paper out and work out what your extra costs really have been.

Presumably the road works are essential; they may be related to utilities for example, and you'd rightfully complain if your gas, electricity or water supply was interrupted because pipes or cables had failed.