Letter of the week: Make sure you hit the right kind of South Tyneside pothole

As any driver in South Tyneside can tell you, the condition of the roads is an absolute disgrace.
Remember to drive over the right kind of pot hole, says our letter writer.Remember to drive over the right kind of pot hole, says our letter writer.
Remember to drive over the right kind of pot hole, says our letter writer.

I had the misfortune to damage my car after going over a pothole in South Shields in January, incidentally, the pothole was repaired a few days later.

I duly completed a claim form to recover the cost of repairs which was, ironically, dealt with by Sunderland City Council who deal with all insurance claims from South Tyneside.

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After four months I received a 21-page letter rejecting my claim.

Apparently there are two grades of potholes: Category one is a pothole of 40mm or more, which is repaired within 24 hours and category two is a pothole less than category one but could cause a hazard, which is repaired within 10 days.

Obviously, my claim fell into category two, hence the rejection.

Bearing in mind the time and manpower involved in investigating my claim, I would guess the cost to South Tyneside Council far outweighs the value of my claim.

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I would advise anyone unfortunate enough to have a potential claim, firstly, make sure you hit a category one pothole and secondly, don’t hold your breath waiting for a quick response, the wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly in South Tyneside Council.

Brian Leithead.