North East Derbyshire District Council

Beware of potholes - the council certainly isn't! I drove over one that was 80cm x 50cm in size and 8cm deep (yes, you read that right) near Ferndale Garden Centre with my two young children in the car. Our tyre was punctured and we had to be towed to a garage for a new one to be fitted, which cost over 170. The council's online insurance claim form wouldn't submit, so I called the landline number and a lovely lady was very sympathetic and told me that due to the pothole's size, I was pretty much guaranteed to get the money back. After much chasing around - which involved me having to physically write a letter, since nobody responded to emails - I eventually managed to submit my claim, but the council made out they checked that road 12 times a year (!) and had just happened to do the last one a couple of weeks before I'd run over the pothole, stating there weren't any defects deemed necessary of repair at the time. Using the freedom of information act, I asked to see records of when the checks were carried out and received about 20 pages of garbled information which I had to interpret for myself. From this, I highlighted occasions where drivers had reported/run into potholes in the same area; dates which showed repairs weren't done until days after incidents were reported; and evidence that clearly stated that their repairs are inadequate. The council's final stance is they won't pay up, and they used other information (which they hadn't supplied during my freedom of information request) to try and support their argument. They told me I need to pursue legal routes if I have any hope of recovering the money. This is despite admitting that they had to repair a pothole in the same location on 8th November 2022, and claiming they had checked the road on 10th December. With the incidient occurring on 30th December, this means their "repair" only lasted a month! The reality is that the council is negligent and an absolute disgrace to the public. This result proves that their only interest is in "fixing" roads cheaply, with no regard for people's property or even lives. Had I seen the pothole and swerved, I could have had an accident with my two young children in the car. But the council doesn't care - they have their tax money and that's all that matters to them! (Photos attached - poor quality as screenshot off my Chromebook).
May 4th, 2023

Would give zero stars. This council dont care about concrete being dropped on their citizens and will not support you if something happens. Of course, theyll say they will but telly they cant be bothered.
Mar 22nd, 2023

Lovely friendly lady helped She was excellent No problem.xx
Mar 14th, 2023

you get through to real live people!
Dec 10th, 2022

BALI, You are a star! One of the loveliest, most understanding people I have ever had the pleasure of talking to. If everyone was like you the world would be a better place. Thank you. Jackie Burns, xxx
Nov 8th, 2022