‘It took a week for my tyres to clear’ - Man criticises council after roadworks damage car
Chris Adam says his car was damaged by Norfolk County Council resurfacing works. Picture: Chris Adam - Credit: Chris Adam
A man whose car tyres ended up covered in stones and tar when he drove over a newly-resurfaced road has said a county council “must take safety seriously”.
Mr Adam said his situation was "almost identical" to that of John Bacon's, reported on by this newspaper last week. Here, tar and stones are stuck to the back passenger tyre of John Bacon's Jaguar XF. Mr Adam said it was obvious that the problem "affected more people than you thin", and wants the county council to consider safety when resurfacing roads. Photo: John Bacon - Credit: Archant
Chris Adam, 30, from Scottow, was driving on the coast road towards Sea Palling in April when he came across a road freshly-laid with the “tar and chippings method”.
His side of the road was open - but the other closed off while works continued.
Mr Adam said: “This method always provides a scare due to loose remaining chippings, but there were no signs saying we should drive slowly.
“Soon after, though, my car dropped to 15-20mph. I realised my tyres had become caked in stones and tar.
Tar and grit on the passenger side's paintwork of Mr Bacon's Jaguar XF. Photo: John Bacon - Credit: Archant
“By the time I reached West Somerton it was clear it wasn’t safe for me to continue on a main road.
He added: “While I can’t claim to have spent money on new tyres or recovery - mainly because it’s not in my budget and my car’s really not that great - I did spend 40 minutes crawling around a layby scraping off the stones and tar with a screwdriver.
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“It took over a week for my tyres to clear. My friends said they knew when I was coming because they could hear the stones that far away.”
MORE: Man seeks compensation after ‘pride and joy’ car is ‘ruined’ by roadworksMr Adam’s issue is mainly one of safety.
Tar and stones stuck to the front tyre of John Bacon's Jaguar XF - much like Mr Adam's car. Photo: John Bacon - Credit: Archant
He said: “I ride a motorcycle, and if I’d been riding one on this occasion I may well have had an accident.
“When I complained to Norfolk County Council they said cars driving over the chippings was part of the setting process. But they can’t just encourage us to drive through it to help it set, when tyres are costly to replace and the stones affect handling so badly.”
In a response, the council said surface dressing was “a well established method” that “helps prevent potholes”.
It added: “Vehicles passing over the new surface plays an important part in helping it settle in.
“People are urged to drive slowly across the new surface until it is bedded in and highway teams return to sweep up loose stones.
“We received the complaint from Mr Adam in April and apologised for the inconvenience.
“Assurances were given at the time that it is highly unusual for bitumen and stones to damage the tyres in this situation and that they could be removed manually or loosen naturally through regular driving.”
