Making a Claim
Before you get started
Please be aware there is no automatic entitlement to compensation and very few claims are successful. While incidents do occur on the Highway, very few are attributable to negligence on part of East Sussex Highways and will therefore be declined.
We maintain Highways Assets by carrying out routine safety inspections and responding to reports from members of the public. There are times when defects can deteriorate in between inspections, particularly during periods of bad weather. This doesn’t constitute negligence.
We can only be held liable in law for a loss, if we were aware of the defective asset and failed to repair or make the area safe within a reasonable timeframe. It is not the duty of the Highway Authority to keep the Highway completely clear of all defects. Generally, only those considered to fall outside of the safety intervention criteria will be repaired. You can find more information on our policies here.
To investigate your claim, we will need:
- Reference number from the report you have made
- Photos of the cause i.e pothole, blocked drain.
- Photos of the damaged items
- Invoice or estimate for the repair
If a claim is successful, we will only pay for fair, reasonable and recoverable losses arising directly because of the accident; administration costs cannot be reimbursed e.g. postage, photocopying etc.
Damage due to third-party operations, such as utility companies, is the responsibility of that organisation and claims should be taken up directly with them.