Poor pavement conditions causing injury compensation claims
Posted: September 29, 2014
Posted in: Pothole Injuries Public Place Accidents 
A Westbourne councillor has claimed that more needs to be done to maintain public pavements. Cracked and damaged pavements are putting members of the public at risk of injury every day, with some in need of very urgent repair. Brighton and Hove City councillor for Westbourne, Graham Cox, said that he receives hundreds of pavement-related complaints every month, affecting almost every street in Hove.
Mr Cox said that pavement damage and bin collection are the two main areas of complaints. He blames a lack of tree-root maintenance for the cracks in the street – posing a specifically great threat to cyclists and elderly people. He said that he recently received a letter concerning an elderly lady that fell on a local pavement and required an emergency hip operation.
“Between two hours and a month to be fixed”
Mr Cox argued that the council thinks that they’re saving money by not making frequent repairs, but in fact pothole compensation payouts are costing them far more in the long term. He added: “I’ve helped three people fill out compensation forms against the council in the last year.”
A council spokesman said that highway inspectors carry out routine inspections all year round. Depending on the problem, however, a pothole or crack can take “between two hours and a month” to be fixed.
Council crack-repairs have been scheduled across Brighton and Hove City.
If you have suffered an injury in a public place, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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