"Council should pay for pothole damage"

Robert Robertson, 59, of Rydene, Basildon, struck the hole, in Sutton Road, back in February, but has had to wait until now for Essex County Council to say it will not be upholding his claim for compensation.

He was driving his wife Janet’s Ford Ka at the time and was on his way to one of the shops on Purdeys Industrial Estate when the car went into the hole.

Mr Robertson said: “There was no way we could have avoided it as we turned into the road, I felt straight away the tyre had gone down, so I had to change that in the pouring rain.

“It’s annoying to have to wait all this time for them to say ‘it’s nothing to do with us’, but it clearly is, because they haven’t kept the road up.

“It’s not only me that it’s happened to.

“I am contemplating taking it further.”

The Echo reported on February 20, how motorist Kevin Attridge also damaged his car by hitting the same pothole.

Mr Robertson claims the council took longer to respond than the three-month time limit given and so far he has only been able to pay for a new tyre so the car is driveable.

He says he doesn’t see why he should have to foot the bill for a newwheel as he feels the council should accept liability for the damage.

An Essex County Council spokeswoman said: “Essex County Council will not comment on the specific details of individual cases. All compensation claims received by the county council are investigated fully and damages paid if the council is liable as the highways authority.

“All claims are given the same legal consideration, whether the claim is for minor damage to a vehicle, or for personal injury.

“The county council aims to respond to all customers claiming compensation for vehicle damage within three months of the claim being received.

“However, this timescale is not set by law and is provided for guidance only. Unfortunately, sometimes it can take longer, which was the case on this occasion, due to an increase in claims following the bad winter.”