Man seeks compensation after ‘pride and joy’ car is ‘ruined’ by roadworks
John Bacon's Jaguar XF which he paid £1200 to get fixed after he claims the tyres and paintwork were ruined by Norfolk County Council roadworks. Picture: JOHN BACON - Credit: JOHN BACON
A man who says county council roadworks “ruined” his Jaguar XF plans to claim £1,200 compensation for the damage caused to his “pride and joy”.
Tar and grit on the passenger side's paintwork of Mr Bacon's Jaguar XF. Photo: John Bacon - Credit: Archant
John Bacon, 47, from Hellesdon, was driving along Woodbastwick Road in Blofield Heath on August 21 when he says his car got caught in a tar spill.
He said: “One side of Woodbastwick Road was being resurfaced, and the other side was open for passing traffic.
“But when I drove through, the two tyres on the left side of my car became covered in tar. There must have been a spillage.
“The tyres started to pick up stones, and when I stopped at the petrol station on Brundall roundabout to try and spray them off, I had no luck.
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
“After trying to drive for a while at about 15mph, the car eventually had to be recovered.”
According to Mr Bacon, the man who recovered his car said he’d “never seen anything like it before”.
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He said: “I didn’t get home until 10pm, and after a long week at work, Friday was supposed to be the night with the kids.
“It looked like someone had taken a paintbursh and dipped it into paint - then really roughly ran it along the trim of my car. It was ruined.
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
“Drips of tar had even congealed on the paintwork.
“It’s a Jaguar XF, and it’s my pride and joy. I’ve worked super hard for it and look after it very well.”
A Norfolk County Council spokesperson said they were “sorry to hear of the problem”.
They said: “We have not received any reports of an issue relating to surface dressing in this location, however we would be happy to look into this matter further should we be contacted.”
But Mr Bacon says he did report the incident to the Highways Authority via the county council’s website, and “shouldn’t have to do it twice”.
He said: “I reported it on August 22, the day after it happened.
“It’s really frustrating trying to get in touch with them. Nobody has responded to me.”
He said the cost of replacing the tyres and paintwork has come to £1,200, swelling to £1,500 if you factor in the hire car he had to rent for a week.
He said: “I’m putting together a claim form to get compensation from the council.”
