Letter from Kent Police

i took out a lamp post in my dads triumph dolomite, i got the same letter off the police, and forgot all about it

about 4-5 MONTHS after, i got a letter from the council with a bill

Originally Posted by Red Herring

Generally if you hit and run there isn't any come back provided nobody gets your number. That's why Dickhe@ds do it.

The council on the other hand will bill anybody who damages their property regardless of how it happened.

Ah ok! Well thanks for that but it didn't even register with my brain until i saw it replaced, i was more worried about getting my slowly deflating tyre and written off car home!

I can kinda understand them billing you for things like streetlamps but i would've thought a safety barrier doing its job wouldn't be something you'd charge someone for!

Originally Posted by gralln9

were you comin off the m25 from clacketts direction to the a21 towards sevenoaks/hastings
if so i havent seen any sign of damage and i have looked at the barriers 3 times as i go that way quite often

gralln9, yes I was, please see attached photo of a the post I bent on the central reservation A21 slip road.

*Please note not actual central reservation*

Circled is the same post that I damaged during my crash.

[Dave20046]

Originally Posted by ethariel

That indeed sounds like 'Well we're not gonna nick ya this time' but leaves the Council door open to sting ya still tho.

Exactly. I got a lot of these communications from the police after mine. Found their repeat followups a bit bizarre like they were trying to intimidate me or act like they were doing me a favour.

I know one member of the org (who may or may not post here, I'll leave that to him) who got a large bill for a damaged armco barrier that he took out with a bike. They can chase you for this BUT your insurance should cover it - the only slightly tricky point is that you need to have told them about the accident (or techncically you are commiting insurance fraud).

Originally Posted by philbut

They can chase you for this BUT your insurance should cover it - the only slightly tricky point is that you need to have told them about the accident (or techncically you are commiting insurance fraud).

This is my understanding.

Why should local Council Tax payers foot the bill for repairs after an accident? Not saying it was the case here, but why shouldn't nobbers who damage property by driving too fast for the conditions or their abilities cough up via their insurance companies? Might make 'em think about things when their premiums go up? Make make 'em think how lucky they were not to take out an innocent third party too.

The other thing to bear in mind, too, is that not all accidents occur in the area where the driver lives..... so Council Tax payers in one area end up paying for damage caused by someone who doesn't pay their tax to them.

Just a thought or two.