The council is required to maintain the highways to a set standard.
Section 41 of the Highways Act requires the council to maintain the highways. We have a robust system of inspections for roads and paths in place.
The frequency of inspections varies. This is dependant upon the classification of the road or path. If an inspection identifies a defect, repairs will be carried out. This also occurs if a defect is reported to us.
If you have an accident on the highway, any claim against the council must be on the basis that:
- The highway in question has not been maintained appropriately with regard to its importance and use and was therefore dangerous.
- This was the direct cause of the accident.
The council will seek to contest such a claim on the basis that it took all reasonable steps to ensure that the highway was safe.
Some accidents may occur from highway works carried out by a utility company or contractor. In these cases a claim may be against them and not the council.
You can notify us of an incident on the highway which has resulted in damage to a vehicle or personal injury by using the attached form. And we'll investigate all the circumstances.
Please note that fraudulent claims may result in prosecution.
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The above form is available to download and print. It is provided as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file and therefore requires a suitable reader to view it. The reader can be downloaded free from Adobe website (full instructions o n how to do this are provided on the website).