The hole truth

I have this week sustained damage totalling nearly £800 to my beloved BMW 728i Sport. The o/s/f coil spring snapped. And a tyre was subsequently damaged. I propose suing West Sussex County Council (WSCC) for the cost of repairs. I have photographed the offending pothole. It was surrounded by a white line indicating that Highways had identified it as needing repair. WSCC is sending me an Incident Form. I have reported the matter to them by both internet and telephone contact. Any advice welcome please on the way forward?

Asked on 3 April 2010 by P.W., via e-mail

Answered by Honest John

If a repair was in progress and was delayed simply by the large number of potholes requiring repair due to the December/January weather, then I don't think you have a case if your claim is rejected by the council. You might be able to find when the pothole was originally reported at www.potholes.co.uk or at www.fixmystreet.co.uk and in any case you should report it to these two organisations so the reporting becomes a matter of record.

Tags: driving potholes legal issues owning

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