Councils pay out £2.4m in highways defects claims
Posted: 8th November 2015
Posted in: Pedestrian Injuries Pothole Injuries Public Place Accidents Road Traffic Accidents
Recently released figures have revealed that councils have paid out millions of pounds in injury and compensation claims as a result of poor road and pavement conditions in Herts and Essex. In the last few years alone, thousands of drivers and pedestrians have reported injuries sustained as a result of road defects. Herts County Council (HCC) paid out a total of £1m in three years, where Essex County Council (ECC) paid out £1.4m, with hundreds of claims still unresolved.
“we are continuing to invest heavily”
Hert’s authority’s opposition leader, Liberal Democrat Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, described the figures as a “worry” and stated that the money would be better spent on making the repairs in the first place to prevent injury from happening. Figures revealed that in the three years leading up to August this year, a total of 1,228 people claimed for injury. The successful claimants were awarded a total of £718,866 – an average of £585.39 each. A number of personal injury claims in this same time frame remain unresolved as people have three years to report them.
Cllr Terry Douris, HCC’s Conservative cabinet member for highways, said: “we are continuing to invest heavily in our roads and spend millions every year on road reinstatement and repairs as part of our ongoing commitment to maintain and improve our roads to ensure they are as safe and well maintained as possible.”
If you have suffered an injury on the road or pavement, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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