matt.bowey

Similar thing happened to me once. Found a road cone in the bushes next to the pot hole, but the council claimed hey never put it there and were unaware of the pot hole.

After filling in a claim form & correspondance from their solicitors. They refused to pay out for the damage on the basis that they never knew the pot hole was there. It was fixed promptly after my claim.

Still, best of luck.........

Pitch Black

Glad to see you're sorted Chris.

Judging by your photo the pot hole seems to have appeared within an existing repair to the road surface. If this patch has been carried out within the last two years the contractor responsible will still be liable for the damage as there is a guarantee period of 2 years on all openings in the public highway! (the New Roads and Streetworks Act) If you can find out who carried out the original excavation you may be able to claim from them. Most reputable contractors will pay for the damage to avoid you hassling their ulimate client, and you'll get your money a lot quicker than you would from the local highways department. If you hit a brick wall with the contractor then get hold of the utility provider who santioned the excavation and they usually will get onto their contractor as well. This happens to us on occasion, and unless the claimee is taking the p1ss we will settle with them quickly.

Probably not worth you pursuing this claim but is handy to know for next time!

Paul

cw42

iTrader: (1)

phew, cheers paul, nice one.
It just occured to me today, although I've only spent £15 so far getting this sorted, I'm going to get my tracking done on friday, which is a lot more than £15! So the cost is actually mounting, and may be closer to £100 by the time its over, all the more reason I guess to claim off the people responsible.
I'll keep you posted as to what happens,
chris

cw42

iTrader: (1)

Ok, as you can see from the last post, it was a while since this happened, and the last I heard was a letter from a solicitor acting on behalf of the contractors, working for the council.
I actually thought I'd heard the last of this, but to my surprise this morning, I got a cheque for £92.24. That actually covers all my expenses!
RESULT
So, just goes to prove, sometimes its worth putting in a claim, and councils do actually pay out!
Thanks for sticking with me on this,
chris.

COROACH

Well if anyone hits any more holes and needs some alloys for 2001+ model 17inch silver, I got three! all of them for £120, all v good nick.
as per my post, hopefully this snow should help me get rid!
Chaz

StanS

iTrader: (3)

Suffolk CC have a different approach. Having tried on 2 seperate occasions to claim for damage to 2 rims (each time) they have this response "we cannot be held responsible for damaged roads if we are not aware that they are damaged". This is after their first letter saying they operate regular inspections and the stretch of road was inspected in Nov and it was OK. My pot hole damage was end of Feb, so my response was that they obviously do not inspect the roads frequently enough in winter. No luck - after 3 years, I have 8 buckled rims in my shed. Don't drive in Suffolk - you get 3 foot long 4" deep pot holoes which the council dont notice !
They will be second against the wall when the revolution comes !! (after certain Bank managers)
Stan

Andy S.

Well done chris the beers are on you then.

johnfelstead

Stan, why dont you buy some stronger wheels? Some are like licorice, some are very strong and just wont buckle.

Dicke C

Had the same thing happen to me in my old Corolla.
Managed to dent the rim and burst the tyre
Any way went back the following morning and saw that the pothole had white marking around it, so the council were aware of it, and it was awaiting repairs.
Took pictures and sent off the claims form, thinking result!

Alas no. The council said that under some highways law, they cannot be held responsible for the pothole as I had driven into it 5 days after they had noticed it was there. They have 14 days to repair potholes.
The woman said that if this happens again the best way is to first report the hole(Use an annon name and don't tell them it caused damage). Make sure the hole is marked. Then wait for 14 days and hope the hole has not been repaired.
Then put in a claim(with a small alteration to the date). Their records will show they knew about the hole, but have not repaired it in the time frame, so they are liable.(Still with me)
Have not tried it but was told it is the only way to ensure payment.

Dicke C

cw42

iTrader: (1)

cheers andy_s, you missed the beers, I got them in last night

supertouring

And nice it was too. If I had known, I would have had a pint of coke!

COROACH, are you northern based. Email me if you are.

StanS

iTrader: (3)

Cheers, John !!
They are Stilauto 17" SR500, which I think look nice (7 spoke IIRC)
Then I went to 17" Mim Brescia (11 spoke ?) which are better at buckle resistance. I managed to get 4 Stilautos that will balance (still have SO2 tyres) for track days.

I now use the block of wood and big hammer solution. The ones in the shed have untrue centres to rim, so cannot be fixed.
Stan

johnfelstead

I have 6 straight MiM's from an original 9. The wheels on my car right now are seriously strong yet light, Speedline Turini Flowformed. Proper wheel. You pays your money......

I'll probably be selling them next week.