Thinking about it
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 07:25 PM |
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has anyone successfully claimed off the council due to the roads?
The council resurfaced one of our local roads today. On my wifes return from work this afternoon, in a convoy of other cars she entered the road
works.
To cut a long story short even after driving home the tyres are absolutely covered in stones, that iIcant seem to shift, burried in the tread and
stuck with tar, not to metion all the stone chops on the previously unmarked car.
I understand roads have to be repaired but to get the car in such a state I have never known. They must have litteraly dumped the tar and gravel, then
opened it up right away.
I had a moan at the council and they are sending my a claim form for the damaged caused.
Not holding my breath but has anyone been down this route.
I have been out for a gentle drive to try and shake off the stones without doing any further damage to paintwork. A stiff brush isnt helping much
either.
Any ideas?
Cheers
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SteveWalker
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 07:45 PM |
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I did once manage to claim off United Utilities.
We had a leak under the pavement outside. I reported it and they came a few days later and fixed it. While they were fixing it, they took the
opportunity to put new stop taps under the pavement for ourselves and the next-door neighbours (we'd never been able to find where the original
was!)
Unfortunately putting the stop taps and covers in meant that the paving slab needed cutting to fit back, so they took it away and as a temporary
measure filled the hole with a very soft, temporary tarmac. It was so soft that passing pedestrians spread it 30 feet in either direction along the
street and even up my drive. I came home from work in the dark, reversed onto my drive, got out and went into the house. As I got through the door the
phone was ringing and I picked it up without switching the light on and spent the next 45 minutes pacing the hall while I was on the phone. It was
only after I hung up and turned the light on that I discovered that there were black blobs all over the carpet from the tar on my shoes!
I phoned UU and explained what had happened and pointed out that it was ridiculous using such soft tarmac that light pedestrian traffic had spread it
so far. They sent someone to look and sent a professional carpet cleaner round a few days later - we were left with a single blob, but I was willing
to overlook that as the carpet hadn't been in perfect condition beforehand.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 07:53 PM |
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Get pictures. If you have any of what the car looked like before all the better or you may have to meet them halfway and claim there was already some
cosmetic damage but not "this freaking much!"
I've never had an immaculate car, but if yours was as spotless as I feel it was and now as marked as I think it is I wouldn't take no for
an answer. Ever. Claim for it every angle you can, loss of value, repair of damage, negligence (notice how they warn you about it? If the resurfaced
it properly they don't)
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flak monkey
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 07:54 PM |
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Not sure about your area, but last time I complained about my car getting covered in tar and chips after they resurfaced the road on the hottest day
of the year with tar and gravel I was told that its not the councils responsibility but the Highways Agency...
Needless to say I got nowhere....just another weekend of cleaning the car 
Sera
http://www.motosera.com
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Thinking about it
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 08:01 PM |
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Just had a gentle go with a wire brush on the tyres and the amount of stones stuck on the tyres with the tar has cut into the rubber with the drive
home.
And now the temperature has dropped the bloodystuff is rock hard
Just heard my daughter has gone down the same road. Dread to think what her car will be like when I see it later.
[Edited on 22/6/11 by Thinking about it]
[Edited on 22/6/11 by Thinking about it]
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Moorron
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 08:25 PM |
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My sister claimed for her puma after it broke a spring, bushes and cut both front tyres. She only wanted the tyres to be paid for as they where almost
new but got a full refund for the lot! 
On my 30 mile drive to work they have just done the same, sticky tarmac and some gravel on a few miles of it, then left it for over a week for the
cars to brush the gravel away and still they havent completed the painting of the lines. What made me swear was the lorry comming back the other way
at 60mph (country road) with a dust cloud behind it knowing full well it wasnt dust. Nothing to do but wait for the smash and its took some paint off
my car and a few others cars. Luckily no windscreens or lights got smashed but still makes me angry.
Good job my car is old and rusty too.
Good luck.
Sorry about my spelling, im an engineer and only work in numbers.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 08:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by flak monkey
I was told that its not the councils responsibility but the Highways Agency...
Needless to say I got nowhere....
Being the argumentative (and fight-filled) git I am, this would make me ask the council WHO replaced the poor surface with a dangerous one (because
it's the responsibility of the people who did it) AND go to the Highways Agency and inform them what you've been told
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RazMan
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| posted on 22/6/11 at 09:51 PM |
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Tried and failed with a claim against Essex Council a couple of years back - her Smart car went down a thumping great pothole on her way to work and
broke the shock, spring and buckled the wheel. Despite taking detailed pics of the hole and giving satnav co-ordinates of the site, they just said
something like "the road is regularly maintained and we can see no reason for increasing the frequency of the maintenance". A week later
the pothole got filled (badly) and my claim was still ignored after writing four letters of complaint - SWMBO even got interviewed on the telly!
[Edited on 22-6-11 by RazMan]
Cheers,
Raz
When thinking outside the box doesn't work any more, it's time to build a new box
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