Darling SWMBO has somehow managed to smash another alloy wheel in a pot hole(second time now) and it looks as though I am not going to be able to find
a replacement as the OZ wheel is obsolete 
What is the criteria for claiming compensation from the council? Do I take a picture of the offending pothole (with some kind of size reference) and
get a quote for replacement of the wheel? If the wheel is obsolete and unrepairable can I claim for a new set of alloys?
Sounds about right, quite a few people have sued up here and go the money. Not sure you'll get 4 wheels though.
the mrs destroyed two wheels in a massive pot hole just after Christmas, it was about 1.5M long, 30CM wide and 20CM deep, it really was a monster, we
took photos of it just incase but didnt actually need them in the end.
we had to get the rac out as obv only one spare wheel so they had it on record should the council dispute it.
we went and got her 2 new alloys the next morning as she needed the car for work, got a receipt and then filled in council claim form and attached a
copy of the receipt (including 2 new tires as it destroyed them too).
they rejected it (have a feeling they reject them all first time) saying there were sight saying uneven road surface and that they repaired it within
14 days of notification.
1) there is only 1 sign and thats if you were traveling the other way that she was
2) the sign says uneven road, not watch out, lake sized pot holes!
3) we know it took them over a month to fix, even after we reported it.
we saw about 5 cars get caught by it in a week.
mrs sent a letter telling them they were chatting poo and she wanted the money and if he was unable to get it sorted she wanted his manager to
contact her.
2 weeks later a letter saying they would contribute towards the damage, didnt say how much though, about a month later we got a cheque for the full
amount
only thing is it does need to have been reported first so get someone from work etc to report it for you otherwise you can not claim for the damage.
Same sort of thing but luckly the pot hole had been marked with white paint and all the others near by had been repaired. They made a payment for the
wheel with some words saying they didn't take legal responsability.
I also sure it has to of been reported before otherwise they can reject the calim.
Dave
Tell the local paper about it, that will get the councels attention. The local paper here loves that kind of stuff to bitch about.
I can see it now - POT HOLE OF DEATH!!
ive recently claimed for a wheel and tyre, was recommended to highlighjt in the initial claim reason why i couldnt avoid hitting it eg. on comming traffic. also they dont normally pay out on quotes seem to want copy invoices.
quote:
Originally posted by will121
...also they dont normally pay out on quotes seem to want copy invoices.
Thanks for the info guys. Looks like I need to buy a new wheel and then send the invoice along with my claim ..... but as I said, the wheel is
obsolete and the chance of finding one with the right offset is slim to say the least.
A bit of a rock & hard place situation
i cant understand how so many people hit pot holes. Its rare that you have no choice but to hit one.
It is a rare talent that SWMBO seems to have. The last time she did this, it was in my 200SX. She shattered the front nearside wheel in an invisible
pothole (must have been a foot deep but she didn't notice), ran the tyre flat and then continued to drive 10 miles home at motorway speeds. 
When she saw me she said something like "I think it is pulling to the left a bit so you might want to check it out sometime"
Awww bless 
There's an Essex CC web site that has an email link for pot holes.
I reported one near my house on a Saturday afternoon and they fixed it on the Tuesday morning.
It was on a blind bend where the road narrows.
Locals who knew of it would come round the bend on the wrong side of the road to miss it.
AFAIK if it has been reported then they are liable for damage, hence they fix them as soon as they can.
Paul G