Make a highways claim

Guidance and claiming

You may be able to claim if a defect on the highway caused vehicle or personal damage.

Before making a claim, check who is responsible and read our guidance.

Responsibility

We are responsible for the maintenance of over 1,100 miles of highway. We're not responsible for unadopted or private roads.

National Highways

National Highways is responsible for the maintenance of trunk roads and motorways including the A14 and A45 - this includes most junctions leading onto these highways. 

For these roads, you need to make a claim with them.

Work by others

If the incident happened because of work being carried out by others (e.g. a utility company or contractor), then your claim may be against them, rather than the council.

Our duty

The law requires us to maintain the highways (that we are responsible for) to an appropriate standard based on their status and use.

We have a programme of inspections in place - how often they happen depends on the type or status of the road or path.

Repairs

When the public reports or we find a problem, repairs are completed within a set time.

Defects can develop quickly - particularly on roads. Just because there is a defect, it doesn't mean we are liable.

We will always do our best to repair defects. If somebody makes a claim and we then carry out a repair, it doesn't mean we are liable.

Guidance

You need to prove the defect was legally dangerous as the law recognises that the highway network can't always remain in perfect condition and that defects will happen.

You must also show that this was the cause of the incident and that a loss or injury has been sustained.

The law also gives us a defence to claims if we can show that we have taken reasonable steps to maintain the highway. 

Making a claim doesn't guarantee compensation.

Report the issue

To help us quickly address the issue, report the defect on our online reporting tool by:

• entering the location (e.g. a postcode, street name or area)
• pinpointing the defect on the map
• enter details of the problem

We'll give you a reference number once the issue has been reported which will be asked for in the claim form below.

If it has already been reported, you can use the reference number from the existing report instead.

Claim

You need to supply full details including:

• the reference number for the defect (as we need to investigate and may need to carry out repairs)
• the date and time of the incident
• where the incident occurred
• details of damage or injury

You may be asked to attend a site meeting to help identify the accident location or its circumstances.

We'll also need the following evidence:

• MOT certificate
• insurance certificate
• driving licence
• something showing you're the legal owner of the vehicle (if claiming for vehicle damage)
• photographs of the incident site
• photographs of damage
• any estimates, quotes and receipts

Fraud

We have a duty to protect public funds and may use the information provided for the detection and prevention of fraud. We may share information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for this purpose.

Other help

If you need to make a claim in a different format, let us know by emailing [email protected].

Last updated 14 August 2024