What is an adequate system of inspection?

5th June 2010

My wife's car hit a pothole causing us to replace two tyres. We live near a county boundary and always assumed the incident occurred in Herts. However, despite being told by Herts that the road was in their county, they later discovered it was Beds' responsibility and eventually we have had our claim rejected by Beds. They say they inspect every six months and last did so in October 2009. Allegedly, no-one reported the pothole before my wife's incident.

Do we have any cause to contest thir assertion that they have an adequate system of inspection and reporting. Surely inspecting every six months is not adequate given the winter we have just had and the increased likelihood of frost damage? And if there is no county border marked, anyone reporting a pothole would find it quite difficult.

Is it worth pursuing? Any advice wouldbe welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Replies (1)

Potholes.co.uk Expert     posted : 07/06/10 at 10:19 am

You need to look at our step by step guide and download the national code of practice. This will help you to assess if a 6 month frequency is adequate.

If their frequency is in line with the national code, I would avoid suggesting that a cash-strapped local authority should spend more on inspections after a bad winter that has already caused them to overspend.