Full rant mode on.......

I managed to get a puncture on my almost new 17" Toyo yesterday after driving over a pot-hole.

It was dark and raining heavily so I didn't even see it coming, needless to say I'm pretty pissed off.
When I say pot-hole I mean 24"x8"x4"deep. I stopped to look at in the daylight today, it looks like a fecking trench.

The tyre was punctured heavily on the sidewall and although I was offered a possible repair I have opted for a new tyre.

I'm yet to find out if my alloy has been buckled.

Anyway, my question is this, is the local council or similar responsible for these type of incidents and if so is there any chance of me getting any sort of compensation? If I have to replace my alloy as well as my tyre I will be £250 out of pocket.

Not a happy bunny.

Chris

Yes the council are liable. Go back to the pothole ASAP and take photo's of that and the wheel. Do this tomorrow!

There was a post a while back on this subject( I think 2 months ago) but with no search you'll have to look for it manually.

I agree with Neil, GO BACK AND TAKE PHOTOS as soon as possible, otherwise "pot-hole, what pot-hole?", as it is miraculously filled in!

mb

I thought the conclusion reached last time was that unless someone had already reported the pot-hole, the council wasn't liable if it could prove it carried out reasonable checks to ensure the road was in a fit state. I think once a month was sufficient. It's obviously not feasible for the council to check every square inch of carriageway in their district on a daily basis, so you need to prove that they have not taken reasonable care to ensure the road is carworthy.

I suppose you could wait a week, hoping it's not fixed in the meantime, and report it again. Then claim as a result of your second report (although if they've taken your name and address for the first report it might look a bit suspicious when you try to convince them you've driven over the same pothole twice).

I have had 7 punctured and non-repairable tyres this year due to poor roads/holes/road works debris.
6 16" tyres and one 255/40/17. Ouch. Total cost, over £1000. Oh and two new wheels needed (£400), plus one huge hole actually mananged to bend a lower arm.
Incidently, 5 of these incidents were on the M40. Thanks UK HIGHWAYS who maintain (or pretend they do) this road for the highways agency.

I had a very similar experience on my old car (dimma kitted Pug 205). Pot hole destroyed two nearside tyres and alloys. I went back the next morning and took some pics of the hole and the sales receipt for the split rim alloys and posted them to the local council. Nice chap turned up and told me a cheque would be sent within the week.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by carl:
<B>I thought the conclusion reached last time was that unless someone had already reported the pot-hole, the council wasn't liable if it could prove it carried out reasonable checks to ensure the road was in a fit state. I think once a month was sufficient. It's obviously not feasible for the council to check every square inch of carriageway in their district on a daily basis, so you need to prove that they have not taken reasonable care to ensure the road is carworthy.

[/quote]

This is the case with most councils, but push them and you will succeed regardless. I have had two succesful claims from councils in the last 12 months. On both occasions the road had been checked within a month and nothing 'alledgedly' found. Just need to get 'persuasive' http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/wink.gif

Incidentally - if you put a claim in, and they repair the hole, they are admitting it was bad enough to warrant repair! It is easy to spot a repaired pothole on the road. This was the arguement I used TO 'WIN' on the above two instances.

Previous thread on this was :-
13th Nov raised by Dr Evil - titled "question for Stuart H and......."

As you can tell, I don't know how to add a link.......

Is the size of the pothole a factor? I would accept that a small (maybe tennis-ball sized) hole is likely to appear quite easily, but a two-foot wide hole doesn't appear overnight!

As said above keep pestering them. I hit a pothole outside Woking which knackered the tyre and rim, and after pestering them for several weeks their insurance company paid out, begrudgingly!!

I remember a post a month or so ago when a P1 was written off as it had a blowout after hitting a manhole cover dislodged by floods - the driver's head went through a window (courtesy of an airbag), but he was ok apart from a few cuts and bruises I think.

With all the ambulance chaser ads on TV nowadays saying that if you trip on a paving stone you should contact them - maybe you should give one of these places a ring.

This happened to me last night, I just hope they don't repair it before I get a photo !!

Oh and a "new" speed camera has been put up 500 yds before the pothole, money spent in the right places http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/confused.gif