Wake up Maggie..

[OwlHoot]

Nope, that's a myth.

"You can clear snow and ice from pavements yourself. It’s unlikely that you’ll be sued or held responsible if someone is injured on a path or pavement if you’ve cleared it carefully."
Clear snow from a road, path or cycleway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

"Furthermore, in the very unlikely case where the intervention does make the situation more risky, it is not enough to show that the passer-by fell over. The passer-by would have to show that he would not have fallen over anyway, or would not have injured himself just as badly in some other way – something that is very hard to do. [..] There is no need for a change in the law. What we need instead is a change in the quality of the people who write and edit newspapers."
Twitpic (letter from David Howarth MP to a constituent in 2010)

Unlikely isn't the same as impossible!

[d000hg]

You can sue anybody for anything. Not the same as saying you'll win.

[hobnob]

Unfortunately the council guy may have a point there, if it's the same legal principle that if you clear snow from the pavement outside your house and someone slips on the cleared area then they can sue you, whereas they can't if you had just left the snow untouched and they slipped on that!

Nope, that's a myth.

"You can clear snow and ice from pavements yourself. It’s unlikely that you’ll be sued or held responsible if someone is injured on a path or pavement if you’ve cleared it carefully."
Clear snow from a road, path or cycleway - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

"Furthermore, in the very unlikely case where the intervention does make the situation more risky, it is not enough to show that the passer-by fell over. The passer-by would have to show that he would not have fallen over anyway, or would not have injured himself just as badly in some other way – something that is very hard to do. [..] There is no need for a change in the law. What we need instead is a change in the quality of the people who write and edit newspapers."
Twitpic (letter from David Howarth MP to a constituent in 2010)

[NigelJK]

yep, it's not just for pot holes
What used to happen was it sent am email to the relevant authority dept when you logged something. Does that still happen?

[SueEllen]

It is certainly the case that you can 'sue' the council if you can prove the pot hole caused the damage, and it has been done plenty of times. Obvs not something the council broadcast too loudly. I've used fixmystreet when they put 20mph signs in 'for safety reasons' whilst the road surface was breaking up causing a braking hazard. We have a primary school at the end of the road. Their biggest fear is if you have put a fixmystreet marker in ANY claims that then come in have to be addressed as they did not fix the issue when told about it.

What!?! Was that https://www.fixmystreet.com/ ?

[NigelJK]

It is certainly the case that you can 'sue' the council if you can prove the pot hole caused the damage, and it has been done plenty of times. Obvs not something the council broadcast too loudly. I've used fixmystreet when they put 20mph signs in 'for safety reasons' whilst the road surface was breaking up causing a braking hazard. We have a primary school at the end of the road. Their biggest fear is if you have put a fixmystreet marker in ANY claims that then come in have to be addressed as they did not fix the issue when told about it.

[vetran]

It's very easy to report now - https://www.fixmystreet.com/

I think the only things that get "fixed" quickly are random "Boris" bikes that get placed in weird places.

or potholes adorned with genitalia!

https://www.theverge.com/2015/5/2/85...wanksy-england

[OwlHoot]

An Essex County Council cabinet member warned anyone attempting to repair a road could become liable for accidents. ..

Unfortunately the council guy may have a point there, if it's the same legal principle that if you clear snow from the pavement outside your house and someone slips on the cleared area then they can sue you, whereas they can't if you had just left the snow untouched and they slipped on that!

But then he is implicitly admitting that in the event of an accident caused by a badly maintained or poorly repaired road, the council is liable!

[SueEllen]

lets hope Mr Stewart has a long list of occasions the locals reported it. Potholes are the norm now. I remember laughing in Tenerife at all the potholes 20 years ago we are now worse.

It's very easy to report now - https://www.fixmystreet.com/

I think the only things that get "fixed" quickly are random "Boris" bikes that get placed in weird places.

[vetran]

Yes they have started to complain:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60727187

An Essex County Council cabinet member warned anyone attempting to repair a road could become liable for accidents.

Lee Scott, who is responsible for highways maintenance at the authority, said: "You can't take matters into your own hands.

"People must always report potholes to the council and we will fix anything that's dangerous."

lets hope Mr Stewart has a long list of occasions the locals reported it. Potholes are the norm now. I remember laughing in Tenerife at all the potholes 20 years ago we are now worse.

[SueEllen]

Yes they have started to complain:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60727187

</snip>

Lee Scott, who is responsible for highways maintenance at the authority, said: "You can't take matters into your own hands.

"People must always report potholes to the council and we will fix anything that's dangerous."

Some how I don't believe the last bit of his statement if ambulances are bursting tyres.

[GJABS]

Good for him, but council jobsworths will probably prosecute him for some unauthorised what not, or just obstructing the highway

Yes they have started to complain:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-60727187

An Essex County Council cabinet member warned anyone attempting to repair a road could become liable for accidents.

Lee Scott, who is responsible for highways maintenance at the authority, said: "You can't take matters into your own hands.

"People must always report potholes to the council and we will fix anything that's dangerous."

[Paddy]

My car can easily overtake Ferraris going over speed bumps an on potholed roads.

[OwlHoot]

Rod Stewart has now taken to filling in potholes so he can drive his ferrari, mean while Penny has taken to arresting people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-eLDONvT1/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...s-essex-estate

The 77-year-old Hard Road singer posted videos of himself on Instagram shovelling gravel near his home in Harlow, Essex, saying: “I’m repairing the street near where I live because no one can be bothered to do it.”

They say the first rut is the deepest, and Stewart bemoaned the damage poor road maintenance could cause to his Ferrari.

“People are bashing their cars up,” he said. “The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can’t go through here at all.”

“We are filling in the holes ourselves while millions and millions of pounds are being spent on the M11,” he added.

Stewart wore a tracksuit and hi-vis tabard to do the shovelling, after he was mocked on Instagram for wearing all-white to clean out his garage during the first lockdown.

Should Harlow experience flooding, Stewart will no doubt emerge with sandbags and his gladrags.

His intervention came in the week that his wife, Penny Lancaster, made her first arrest as a special constable with the City of London police. She applied to join the police as a volunteer officer after taking part in reality TV programme Famous and Fighting Crime where she joined officers on the beat.

Good for him, but council jobsworths will probably prosecute him for some unauthorised what not, or just obstructing the highway

But seriously, if he fills potholes with concrete that is harder than the rest of the road, it won't be long before his repairs are like little islands of stability among a road surface deteriorating further around them, and it might end up even worse and more expensive to fix! So the council might have a case that his repairs will cost them more in the long run!

[SueEllen]

Rod Stewart has now taken to filling in potholes so he can drive his ferrari, mean while Penny has taken to arresting people.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca-eLDONvT1/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...s-essex-estate

The 77-year-old Hard Road singer posted videos of himself on Instagram shovelling gravel near his home in Harlow, Essex, saying: “I’m repairing the street near where I live because no one can be bothered to do it.”

They say the first rut is the deepest, and Stewart bemoaned the damage poor road maintenance could cause to his Ferrari.

“People are bashing their cars up,” he said. “The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can’t go through here at all.”

“We are filling in the holes ourselves while millions and millions of pounds are being spent on the M11,” he added.

Stewart wore a tracksuit and hi-vis tabard to do the shovelling, after he was mocked on Instagram for wearing all-white to clean out his garage during the first lockdown.

Should Harlow experience flooding, Stewart will no doubt emerge with sandbags and his gladrags.

His intervention came in the week that his wife, Penny Lancaster, made her first arrest as a special constable with the City of London police. She applied to join the police as a volunteer officer after taking part in reality TV programme Famous and Fighting Crime where she joined officers on the beat.