22 road users a month claim against the council for car damage

New figures show that Donegal County Council receives an average of 22 claims each month from motorists who believe their vehicles were damaged by potholes.
It takes the council an average of 4 months to reply to each individual claim, however there are no figures to show how many of those claims are successful.
Some claims against the council have been going on for years.
Road users who damage their vehicle and consider it the responsibility of Donegal County Council have the option to submit a liability claim for the council.
The forms are available at council offices across the county and on the forms section of the council’s website.
Responding to a question from Councilllor Cora Harvey, the Roads and Transport Services section of the council confirmed that this year the council has received 219 claims so far.
It was pointed out that on receipt of a claim, the claimant is usually notified in writing that their complaint has been logged within ten working days.
Councillor Harvey asked how long it takes to process a claim, she was told that claims are normally responded to within 16 weeks as staff availability permits.
Other cases, involving personal injury of outside contractors or ongoing correspondence with claimants can continue for years.
The council was unable to give a number of live claims currently within the system.