Stone chippings!

[Surfer01]

Around our county the Highways Agency has taken to laying down a layer of stone chippings on roads that need re-surfacing. They then leave it for a few weeks in the hope that the motorist will push the stone chippings into the ground.

Unfortunately if you happen to be travelling on one of these roads, stones tend to fly up no matter how slow one drives and you end up with stone chips on your car or caravan. Luckily our car is not brand new otherwise we would be having words!

We have a front towing cover on our caravan, but a passing motorist threw up a stone that put a small dent on the front roof of our caravan where the cover does not reach!

I wonder if you can sue the Highways Agency for the damage?

[Conniff]

Stone chip dressing is used everywhere there are tight fisted councils who either allowed a rubbish job of the original surfacing by a contractor or want a quick cheap means of covering up a road that needs a resurface. Stone chip dressing is particularly dangerous to 2 wheels and cycles in particular. The warning signs, usually inadequate, say 20mph when 5mph would be a more realistic max to drive at.

 

Can you sue? It certainl won't do any harm to send them the quotation from a bodyshop if it specifically states ' to repair road surface chippings and bitumen damage'.

[Surfer01]

Only issue is being able to prove it occurred while travelling on that stretch of road. Sometimes a stone will lodge in the tyre tread and only fly loose a few miles down the road! Cost of repair is about £200 as it is an aluminium skin.

[meemok]

Don't see why you couldn't sue them. Loads of people claimed against the highways agency for vehicle damage from potholes last year didn't they?

[raydetinu]

Are you sure its th HA and not the local council?

[Surfer01]

TBH I do not know. This was on one of the arterial roads in the county.