BIKER Allen Jenkinson was hit with a £950 repair bill after his motorcycle was damaged by a pothole.
But he says he’s lucky he did not pay with a serious injury.
Mr Jenkinson came off the bike just yards from his home on Lipscomb Street in Milnsbridge last October.
The wheels locked as he braked after skidding on some loose chippings.
It damaged the brake pedal, silencer and the plastic bodywork.
Mr Jenkinson applied for compensation from the council.
The 58-year-old biker was unhurt because he was only travelling slowly.
But he said: “I was brought off the bike by a pothole, the implications of which are far more far-reaching than the £950 worth of repairs required as a result.
“Fortunately mine was a slow speed incident and I was uninjured, but injuries sustained in a fall from any motorcycle can range from fatal to paralysing spinal or career-ending arm or leg injuries, all of which is considered perfectly acceptable and not in breach of Kirklees highways department’s health and safety responsibilities towards me or any other motorcyclist or two-wheeled rider.
“Surely this cannot be right.”
But he was told that the road had been in an adequate state of repair on its last inspection.
A council spokesman said: “When potholes are reported to us they are acted on. That is in addition to the regular inspection of all roads.
“A pothole can be dangerous at the time an incident takes place, but if it was not dangerous at the time of the last statutory inspection and the council has not yet been made aware of the danger then there is no legal responsibility on the part of the council for damage or injury.”
