Claim for damage to your vehicle from Potholes / Damaged roads

There was a news story recently of a man who would use yellow or white spray paint to mark potholes as male genitalia...The potholes he marked that way were fixed within 2 days. It seems Councils fear prosecution for offending members of the public so fix any pothole that may look like a man willy with testicles so fix them within a day or two to prevent claims against the Council.
Always worth considering.

The region where I live spent £150 million last year on paying out claims for potholes, the same amount of money would easily have fixed the issue, but the potholes are still there and claims still going in.
A lot of the potholes have been caused by the GAS and utility companies digging up the roads and only resurfacing the area dug up, surely they should be resurfacing the whole road,they can certainly afford it,No seems us mugs the taxpayers and rates payers are footing the bill for incompetence and greedy energy companies.

Sorry but this is not a deal. (edited)

Up here in the North East is a joke, few roads I've refused to go down anymore they're that bad. Yesterday I seen them fixing one road that's been ruined for months.
Dual carriage way next to mine has a major one that still hasn't been fixed after easily 2 months.
In all my years of driving I've never known the roads to be so bad.

m5rcc30/03/2018 13:22

Are there are UK Government websites left to post as hot, UK deals?

What?

They shouldn’t have too many claims in Wales but Surrey County Council will be inundated if everyone knows about this.

Great and then we all pay it back it some form of tax. (edited)

Vigilante ‘artist’ covers potholes with massive penises metro.co.uk/201…26/

deleted92912630/03/2018 14:12

I remember making a claim many years ago, I buckled an alloy and ruined a …I remember making a claim many years ago, I buckled an alloy and ruined a brand new pirelli rubber band (215/35/19), council offered £50 - when I told them it cost me over £500 per corner i was told to take it or leave it. Read lessRead more

Then you should have issued a County Court summons to the leader of the Council & claimed through the Court.....The Council leader would have had to appear in person as you cannot send someone on your behalf to represent you in the County Court. You would have also got your full expenses back.

MIDURIX2 m ago

What?

Are there any UK Government websites left to post as hot, UK deals? Seems to be that some are simply posting them as deals, when they are public service annoucements at best.

After the snow there are a lot more around, disgusting the government don’t use all our road taxes to pay for roads

Are there are UK Government websites left to post as hot, UK deals?

I have made a claim and was successful. I used the template on Martins Money Saving website. They paid out without any problem. It will be different from council to council though

random question: I was cycling on the roads in london last week due to the DLR strike. The rain covered up the pothole (duh) and I punctured my tires. Does the rule apply to bicycles?

SixtyFive30/03/2018 14:31

You tell them it's damaged your vehicle & they will fill it in as rapidly …You tell them it's damaged your vehicle & they will fill it in as rapidly as possible to prevent you being able to prove your claim.Read lessRead more

No they wont though... and you need to take a picture to claim... why is this crappy thing even on a deal site? this is not a deal!

HDUK once again allowing crap on their site

Yes, people have to take the time and make a point of reporting these Potholes/damage to the Roads Dept which may help the council get the repairs done more quickly and save our Council Tax on payments to claimants.

Ok this is what I did I’ve had 2 claims both paid (The roads are shite councils & the government need to wake up I pay good money for my cars wheels & tyres).

1) Take a photo of the damaged pothole preferably a few also showing the road location of the pot hole name of the road your direction of travel.

NOTE (YOU NEED TO IDENTIFY THE DAMAGE ) ie take it to a tyre fitting company for them to give you a report (possibly free) they will say if the tyre is defective also put the wheel on the balancing machine to see if it is buckled/damaged.

NOTE (you may need to claim for a set of alloys as you may not still be able to obtain a single
wheel ) also be sure you are claiming for a genuine wheel & not a pattern wheel but a genuine usually is still obtainable from manufactures.

2) Submit all details to your local highways department (not always local council) they usually have a standard form to fill in do it ASAP – make sure you have done some homework & obtained as much info as possible before submission

3) Under the freedom of information act request the “street report” for this section of the highway this will tell you when repairs were made, when it was last inspected and if anyone has also reported it etc. You need to study this report to ascertain if the council has been negligent or not (on one of my claims I said the road had been repaired but it was an inadequate repair & did not meet any codes of practice) also I think but not sure they may have a duty of care in these instances codes of practice is found within the HAUC document.

4) The council might make an offer if they feel you have a case if your happy then accept the offer but more often they will reject your claim and you will need to take it to the next level. Be prepared for a battle with their claims department then to their solicitors they will obviously try to put you off with their legal jargon (BS) dig your heals in and fire back your responses (arguments) to their letters they will eventually set a hearing in the small claims court (can take up to 6 months or longer) but if you feel like I did you have a good case don’t be surprised when their solicitors back out a couple of weeks from the hearing date, it’s a case who has the biggest balls.

Also you don’t have much to lose by going to court even if you lose I think you only have to pay the court costs and not the solicitors (not sure maybe less than £100 it was a few years ago now)

There is lots to think about, I spent nearly a week on my first claim obtaining evidence preparing documents for court etc but my second claim was a few emails once I knew the sequence of events.

joedastudd2 h, 11 m ago

Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an …Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an accident and/or made a claim.Read lessRead more

You're the reason instructions are on shampoo bottles.

le_jaeger30/03/2018 14:09

Technically, perhaps. But anyone who tells their insurance company about …Technically, perhaps. But anyone who tells their insurance company about privately settled or minor bumps and dings is a fool.Read lessRead more

Which is all fine until you have an accident and your insurance try everything to get out of paying.
The council is going to be doing everything by the book so it's not like it's going to take much digging for your insurance to find the claim and have valid reason to void the claim and make any future insurance higher.

How on earth is this a deal and not a heads up (therefore belonging in misc)?

You are unlikely to get anything either if the pothole hasn't already been reported to the council (not by yourself), maybe the OP should actually say what to be aware of rather than just 'claim claim claim' (edited)

ngs30/03/2018 13:28

Yes, people have to take the time and make a point of reporting these …Yes, people have to take the time and make a point of reporting these Potholes/damage to the Roads Dept which may help the council get the repairs done more quickly and save our Council Tax on payments to claimants.Read lessRead more

Nearly all councils have a system to log road issues, whether upcoming issue which requires minimal intervention ( cheap) or proper issue like a pothole which requires urgent intervention ( expensive). They have a grading system and prioritise the work accordingly.
They have inspectors which drive around usually at night logging the state of every road in that council area. They also depend on members of the public to report issues.

Where possible and where its legal and safe report all such issues to the council. Including if the problem is small because that repair would be cheap and prevent it becoming a major and more expensive problem. This will save our councils money.

The reason I know this is because I met with the company that provides this software to most councils in the UK.

The software also logs the state of street furniture like street lamps and Bench's etc. (edited)

If you report the right info of potholes to your council. They have 2 weeks to repair it & if they dont do it & you have damage you have a case. You need to report through the appropriate council channel so you have proof.
For example...
durham.gov.uk/pot…les

You will register & you have your login. I reported one and it was filled within days. You should report as many as you can.

Nice photo.

SixtyFive37 m ago

Vigilante ‘artist’ covers potholes with massive penises htt …Vigilante ‘artist’ covers potholes with massive penises http://metro.co.uk/2018/03/13/vigilante-artist-covers-potholes-massive-penises-7383226/Read lessRead more

I love this, particularly the name of one vigilante artist... 'the legendary Wanksy'.


(PS remember folks - do not make fraudulent claims)

SixtyFive30/03/2018 14:56

Calm down Sean. You will burst a blood vessel.

Says the guy in dream world who thinks the council will instantly fill pot holes when reported lol... if this was the case the roads would be smooth as hell, the roads in this country are a disgrace and we pay stupidly high road tax.

Wake up before posting dream world comments.

In the process of claiming from Liverpool City Council. It’s now April but started the claim in December. They won’t reply to emails or get back to calls. The evidence I have is enormous yet they are challenging it. A lot of pot holes in Liverpool. I will still be going through, even to court if it comes to it.

My favourite post so far this year.
Many thanks to the op and honestly, who cares if it isn't a deal, it's helping people who are being shafted by the councils and the government

snoopy1822 h, 48 m ago

Sorry but this is not a deal.

Apology declined. (edited)

Did this before when my wishbone went after a rather heavy run in with a pothole

It's definitely not as easy as filling out a form! If you're going to be successful, you need to be well planned. When I did it, I:

1. Sent initial complaint off to the council
2. Got a standard we inspect the roads regularly so not our responsibility BS response.
3. First FOI request to the council - asked for all records relating to the inspection of the stretch of road where the pothole was, including date/times of inspections, notes/records of any damage, and details of any work carried out because of the inspections.
4. Got back a request from the council stating that the road was last inspected 6 weeks ago and that no damage was found during the inspection.
5. Sent a second FOI request asking for: a) copies of any claims for pothole damage on that section of road made to the council in the 6 months up to the date of the last inspection, including any photographs supplied by claimants and b) (luckily for me) a copy of the footage from a council run CCTV camera for the entire day on the day they inspected the road.
6. After a relatively long wait, and agreeing that they would show me the footage at the council office rather than send it (I didn't have a problem with that), I saw that the same pothole was there clear as day.
7. Sent a reply off to my initial complaint, with a photo I took of the cctv screen showing the pothole was there on the day they inspected the road (and didn't see it, apparently), and that they have therefore breached section 58 and cannot rely on it.
8. Got a cheque for £900 to cover the cost of repairs to my wishbone, two new tyres (I argued it was unsafe to replace one, and I would never replace just one tyre) and a rim refinish!

It is possible to claim, just bloody hard work. You basically have to prove that the council either a) was or b) should have been aware of it.

meanmoose7 m ago

random question: I was cycling on the roads in london last week due to the …random question: I was cycling on the roads in london last week due to the DLR strike. The rain covered up the pothole (duh) and I punctured my tires. Does the rule apply to bicycles?Read lessRead more

Yes it would.

Does this not affect your insurance?
I means technically your had an accident and/or made a claim.

joedastudd30/03/2018 14:00

Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an …Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an accident and/or made a claim.Read lessRead more

Technically, perhaps. But anyone who tells their insurance company about privately settled or minor bumps and dings is a fool.

I remember making a claim many years ago, I buckled an alloy and ruined a brand new pirelli rubber band (215/35/19), council offered £50 - when I told them it cost me over £500 per corner i was told to take it or leave it.

There was an instance a year and half ago where I hit a really dodgy pothole and still gives me neck problems to this day stiff neck that gets sore if not moved around often.

Should claimed back then but couldn't be bothered with the hassle. What a fool I am

deleted139078630/03/2018 14:18

If you win.

If you have your evidence then you win. A good picture or short video of the pothole & damage it's caused is enough....Just place a piece of wood across the hole then measure it's depth & grab a picture from ground level & you win. Do this before you tell the Council or they will fill it in as rapidly as possible to prevent your claim.

joedastudd30/03/2018 14:00

Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an …Does this not affect your insurance?I means technically your had an accident and/or made a claim.Read lessRead more

No as you aren’t claiming from your insurance.

SixtyFive30/03/2018 14:16

Then you should have issued a County Court summons to the leader of the …Then you should have issued a County Court summons to the leader of the Council & claimed through the Court.....The Council leader would have had to appear in person as you cannot send someone on your behalf to represent you in the County Court. You would have also got your full expenses back.Read lessRead more

lol behave

bonecrusher900030/03/2018 14:25

No as you aren’t claiming from your insurance.

Technically your insurance has to be informed about every incident you are involved in. Claim or not. It's in all standard terms. And a risk factor.

In reality if you tell your insurance about getting £50 off the council and being in a non-claim incident you'll be a net loser.

Americana claim culture taking over...sad day for the UK