A motorist is demanding more than £2,000 compensation from Severn Trent – after hitting a pothole. Samuel Turner burst one of his tyres and shattered the alloy after hitting a three-inch deep pothole surrounding a manhole cover on Sandon Road, in Stafford.
Staffordshire County Council is blaming Severn Trent after previously reporting the road defect to the utility giant. Now Severn Trent insurers are set to look into the issue which dates back almost a year.
Samuel, from Stafford, said: “When I first hit the pothole I heard a crack and my warning lights came on. My tyre went flat. I took it to the garage and they said because it’s a sports car they’ll need to order the tyre in and when he had a look he realised it wasn’t just the tyre, it was the alloy too. It had cracked down and split the tyre. They replaced the tyre and welded the alloy for me. Then in October, the alloy cracked again which shredded my replacement tyre. I had to get a new tyre put on just to make it 10 minutes back home. It’s going to Audi soon to get a replacement alloy and it’ll probably need a new tyre then too.
“It cost £90 to have the alloy welded, £150 for each of the three replacement tyres, £1,500 for the replacement alloy, and £50 to fit it. I’ve not been able to drive either, and I’m based in London for work, so it’s cost me a lot in trains and hotels too. It’s been a lovely few months.”
The impact split Sam’s alloy
The 30-year-old flight attendant added: “I sent a complaint to Staffordshire County Council and they sent it to their lawyers to do some digging. Their investigation team said that the council was aware of the pothole but that they had already notified Severn Trent of the issue so the blame was with them.”
Samuel has sent photos of the road defect to Severn Trent. He says he has been offered £300 compensation for the delay in dealing with the complaint.
Samuel added: “They just keep passing the buck. It just seems like a big company thinking they can get away with it because I’m just one small person. When I stopped and Googled it, I saw there are lots of people who’ve actually gone through the same thing.
“It’s really annoying because I’m not trying to claim for loads of compensation or anything unreasonable. I’m not going for blood. They’ve done something which has affected me financially and I literally just want them to pay for the damages.”
Severn Trent is keeping in touch with Samuel.
A Severn Trent spokesperson said: “This issue is due to be passed to our insurance team who will review the incident and ensure further communications are sent swiftly.”
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