Can I sue the council for damaging my car with loose pebbles from badly-surfaced roads?

Am I alone in thinking that the practice of resurfacing roads with a thin layer of tar and granite pebbles, often in the summer when the tar is in a permanently melted state, is not only irritating but futile? The surface soon becomes unstable with climatic changes and breaks up, apart from which car bodies, lights and windscreens are damaged from flying stones. Can I sue the council for damage in such circumstances?

Asked on 10 October 2010 by RJ, Loughborough

Answered by Honest John

You are right. In France they seal surfaces properly. In the UK they just lay tar, chuck chippings on top, impose a 20mph speed limit, and expect the traffic to force the chippings into the tar. That's why our roads crack up and French roads don't.

Tags: damage councils roadworks

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