Driver refused £80 compensation after hitting pothole in Chappel

Adam Bell said he was refused compensation by Essex County Council even though he was left with an £80 bill to his car.

He says he hit the pothole in his Vauxhall Corsa while driving along Colchester Road, in Chappel, with the impact being so severe he lost control of his car.

But after appealing to the council for compensation for the damage to his tyre, Adam was refused a payout as the council said the pothole wasn’t dangerous.

That was on April 22 and Adam was gobsmacked after finding the pothole had been tarmacked over twice following his complaint.

He said: “Around two weeks ago I noticed the part of the road was resurfaced.

“So the hole was dangerous enough to be repaired in this way.

“I am quite irritated, as I am £80 out of pocket for driving home from work. It is now the principle as the road wasn’t maintained.

“To me, every pothole was dangerous. If hit at the wrong angle or speed, you can lose control of your vehicle.”

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “We regret the issues this driver has experienced, but we can’t comment publicly on an individual claim for compensation as there are specific processes to deal with this.

“We have a duty to ensure that public money is used responsibly and for everyone’s benefit.”

Adam, 30, of Clacton, said he feels insulted by the response.

He added: “To be honest I feel let down by the council. I don’t know what constitutes a dangerous pothole, but it was huge. They filled it in once and then weeks later did it again.

“When I hit the pothole, there was a car in front of me that had done the exact same thing.

“The damage was bad enough it completely ruined my tyre.

“The fact these pothole repairs were attempted twice shows it was dangerous. Then, in the letter, for them to say I can take it to claims court is just an insult.

“It wasn’t even a lot of money but it wasn’t my fault and I’m out of pocket because that road wasn’t maintained.”