Weather
Buckinghamshire County Council leader's tyres burst by pothole in Maxwell Road, Beaconsfield (From Bucks Free Press)
Send your news, photos and videos by texting bucksfreepress to 80360 or email
This section is for news about councils and MPs. Click here to find your MP by postcode and here to find your council by postcode.
Buckinghamshire County Council leader's tyres burst by pothole in Maxwell Road, Beaconsfield
11:10am Wednesday 10th February 2010
THE council chief responsible for roads suffered two burst tyres after driving through a pothole.
Buckinghamshire County Council leader Councillor David Shakespeare lost two tyres on his BMW while driving along Maxwell Road, Beaconsfield as the recent snow began to thaw.
Yet he insisted the incident was not related to his decision to pump in an immediate £2.7m to tackle potholes created and opened up by the cold snap.
He said: “I’m quite surprised that people think I would be immune from driving through potholes.
“There are thousands of potholes left by the snow and everybody in Buckinghamshire must have driven through a dozen at least.”
He said: “Nobody goes ahead of me filling in potholes.”
The damage happened as Cllr Shakespeare was driving home to Hammersley Lane, High Wycombe from BCC HQ County Hall in Aylesbury.
The Conservative said he managed to ‘crawl’ home at 15mph.
Asked what his reaction was, he said: “I wouldn’t like to say. I was just hoping the rear one wasn’t going to burst as well.
“I suppose acceptance, that it has happened to thousands of other people.”
Yet he said he was dismayed by drivers who claim against the council for damaged cars.
Cllr Shakespeare said: “I can never understand why there are so many people who blame the council for the potholes.
“The ice is to blame for the potholes – the council has to rush round flling them in afterwards.”
A decision to put in an immediate £2m to tackle the potholes was made hours before the incident, he said.
And a move to reverse plans to slash next year’s pothole budget in half, by £678,000, was made the previous week, he said. The decision was announced on Monday.
Councillor Valerie Letheren, cabinet member for transportation, said she was ‘delighted’ by the move to re-instate the cash.
She said: “Every penny is needed. The roads are in such a state.”
More Politics stories
- Wanderers fans question stadium move
- Trails guide criticises council for Whiteleaf Hill management
- Day centre closure council "selling everything up"
- OAP beds and child protection to be hit by council cuts
- Council refuses gritting role over claim fears
- Council apologises over stadium documents
- Human faeces in park prompts camping ban
- County PR officers: 'We are not ignoring High Wycombe'
- Grieve backs G20 protest decision
- Anger at ‘totally unnecessary’ stadium list
Your Say YourBucks
cocobay, B'Field says...
11:22am Wed 10 Feb 10
Potted Plant, High Wycombe says...
11:30am Wed 10 Feb 10
Bogart, Marlow Bottom says...
11:43am Wed 10 Feb 10
- Shakespeare.
inabetterplace, Groede says...
12:00pm Wed 10 Feb 10
There was snow in europe too, you know . Guess what .. NO potholes
miccles, Downley says...
12:02pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Mr Shakespeare.
Probably a company car anyway if its a BMW, certainly wouldn't be his.
s/w "pass-hate" quite appropiate
Curlycurly, High Wycombe says...
12:04pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Mutley, High Wycombe says...
12:10pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Well maintained roads will not suffer much from potholes. If you look where many of the potholes occur it is where there are joints - either a badly filled trench following roadworks, around a manhole cover or where some oik has removed the perfectly good surface at a bus stop and replaced it with a thin layer of brown tarmac and the edges have all broken up!
DeepThinker, Wycombe says...
12:10pm Wed 10 Feb 10
.
If he does ... then so will we!!
featheredfriend, says...
12:12pm Wed 10 Feb 10
A DOZEN? Most drivers have lost count, haven't they?
iworld, High Wycombe says...
12:23pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Now do something about these potholes - or go to Germany and see how the German local authorities do it properly. He states
Cllr Shakespeare said: “I can never understand why there are so many people who blame the council for the potholes.
What planet does this man live on - or does he need a trip to vision express - now that he has experienced it himeself - he knows how we feel.
DO THE JOB PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE!
erm, ermsville says...
12:38pm Wed 10 Feb 10
miccles, Downley says...
12:40pm Wed 10 Feb 10
There are better ways to get to Hammersley lane i'm sure.
russell_face, says...
12:40pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Justice is done, Dave you tw@.
WiLGotz, says...
12:47pm Wed 10 Feb 10
time for the real journos to get pics of these potholes before the evidence is gone.
Craig...., Coventry says...
12:57pm Wed 10 Feb 10
And what the hell are you thinking of driving that distance with burst tyres?
SW: hurt-hole!! Awesome!
WycombeBorn&Bred, High Wycombe says...
1:41pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Mr Wife suffered two burst tyres last week due to the pot holes in the roads around Hazlemere and High Wycombe. Both tyres could not be repaired as the damage was in the side walls. This was extremely annoying as the tread on both was very good and in fact one was only a few months old. This has come at a time when money (as it is for most of us) is hard to find.
I afraid I cannot agree with your comment "The ice is to blame for the potholes". I'm afraid this is an excuse that shows a great deal of ignorance on your behalf. The ice was indeed a contributory factor but only, because the roads were in a poor pre snow/ice condition. Had there not been so many cracks in them to start with the moisture would not have been able to creep and then freeze causing the surface to break up. Could you please back up your comment with some evidence of why roads in the midlands which have had to endure as much if not more snow/ice and have not really been affected at all.
The other thing I would like to know is are you going to claim for your replacement tyres against the council ? if so then surely my wife is entitled to do so too.
Blaze Falconburger, High Wycombe says...
1:52pm Wed 10 Feb 10
I reported it immediately, then telephoned Bucks Transport a few days later. They could not find my report which was done via the website.
Better than this, nobody else had reported any along that road.
But the hole had been filled the following day when I returned to take a picture.
But the lady in the transport department also had no record of work being done along that road.
The ice is to blame for the pot holes? No - inadequate road repairs are to blame, this is obvious to anyone who looks to see where the pot holes have appeared.
So I would like to know if David claims - this will set a precedence. BFP Please keep an eye on this!
Punchy, Wycombe says...
1:56pm Wed 10 Feb 10
http://www.liveleak.
com/view?i=b85_12208
11466
J B Blackett, High Wycombe says...
1:57pm Wed 10 Feb 10
.
He probably thought the pot-holes were pots of (council tax) gold and drove straight at them
.
This man is yet again another accident waiting to happen. He cannot help himself ; he needs help (but I am not qualified to section him).
.
Regards
Slimster, OutStanding in my field says...
2:04pm Wed 10 Feb 10
russell_face wrote:Most modern BMWs have runflat tyres so he was probably doing nothing wrong.
What a great example he sets, driving about 3 miles with two burst tyres on public roads. What speed was he going at to pop both?
Justice is done, Dave you tw@.
-
This article shows that anyone can get caught out, and personally I hope that it does spur Mr S to provide more road funding. There is nothing like personal experience to help convince.
miccles, Downley says...
2:26pm Wed 10 Feb 10
The leader of Bucks County Council has come a cropper on one of the county's potholes.
David Shakespeare's BMW needed two new wheels costing over £2,100 when he hit a pothole near Beaconsfield on his way home.
He said: "I have hit a pothole like many other people.
"We knew that when the snow melted there would be potholes. Nobody goes ahead of me filling in the potholes and we pursued this one with urgency.
"I asked them to increase the amount of money that goes into potholes on the Monday and suffered the damage on my way home on the same day.
"I released the money before the damage was done.
"I don't know whether the Bucks County Council insurance company will pay the claim, but when I have got the bills I will see."
deecee01, high wycombe says...
4:01pm Wed 10 Feb 10
WiLGotz, says...
4:15pm Wed 10 Feb 10
demoness, Hades says...
4:46pm Wed 10 Feb 10
haha!!!!!!!
There is a god! :)))
John Ley, High Wycombe says...
6:41pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Voyeur, HW says...
7:15pm Wed 10 Feb 10
.
Or perhaps he was just using the only gritted roads in Bucks! I know I have to go via Beaconsfield to Aylesbury when the roads are icy and Bucks County Council does not adhere to its priority gritting schedule.
salena, high wycombe says...
7:40pm Wed 10 Feb 10
J B Blackett, High Wycombe says...
7:52pm Wed 10 Feb 10
Voyeur wrote:I did say this miserable metaphor and mishap of a morphed municipal man appears to have (allegedly) delusions of adequacy and has probably not got all the dots on his personal dice.
He sounds like he needs to buy a new Sat Nav as well as new tyres and wheels, if he travels from Aylesbury to Hammersley Lane via Maxwell Road, Beaconsfield.
.
Or perhaps he was just using the only gritted roads in Bucks! I know I have to go via Beaconsfield to Aylesbury when the roads are icy and Bucks County Council does not adhere to its priority gritting schedule.
.
And we've allowed him and people like him to run our governmental affairs for you and me , folks.
.
What have we done ! Help !
HP14, says...
8:37pm Wed 10 Feb 10
is it legal to drive a car with flat tyres? a responsible person would have called for a roadside repair service.
someone call the police!
John Ley, High Wycombe says...
9:14pm Wed 10 Feb 10
HP14 wrote:I expect that if you are going to claim from the Council Transport Department for 2 brand new tyres you have to make sure the tyres are beyond repair. It does seem a little suspicious that 2 blew at the same time. People need to adapt and temper their expectations after this extreme weather – the worst in 30 years. If a person drives at reckless speed though potholes they should not reasonably expect the Council to pick up the bill.
after hitting the pothole our glorious leader “crawled home at 15mph” from beaconsfield to hammersley lane. i assume the car had two flat tyres at time. is it legal to drive a car with flat tyres? a responsible person would have called for a roadside repair service. someone call the police!
demoness, Hades says...
9:58pm Wed 10 Feb 10
John Ley wrote:You came out with this drivel before and at least two of us pointed out that we were WELL within the speed limit and still got caught out.
HP14 wrote: after hitting the pothole our glorious leader “crawled home at 15mph” from beaconsfield to hammersley lane. i assume the car had two flat tyres at time. is it legal to drive a car with flat tyres? a responsible person would have called for a roadside repair service. someone call the police!I expect that if you are going to claim from the Council Transport Department for 2 brand new tyres you have to make sure the tyres are beyond repair. It does seem a little suspicious that 2 blew at the same time. People need to adapt and temper their expectations after this extreme weather – the worst in 30 years. If a person drives at reckless speed though potholes they should not reasonably expect the Council to pick up the bill.
Change the record and stop making silly uninformed assumptions there's a good chap. :)
Grrrrrrr_PC_gone_mad, Prestwood says...
12:01am Thu 11 Feb 10
co.uk. It give comprehensive advice on how to make a claim and the correct procedures to follow.
To those who have poo poo'ed others who wish to use a facility they are entitled to use via their local authority please remember that said authority has a statutory obligation to maintain the highways regardless of the weather and that we all pay a road fund license from which a portion is meant to go towards the provision of said maintenance of the highways so please don't belittle those who are only pursuing what they are rightly entitiled to.
As for you Mr Shakespeare thanks for the best laugh I've had all week and the first sighting I've had of a road resurfacing team (not just pot hole filling team) in the 6 years I've lived in Gt Missenden and if you wish to make a claim for your damage I'm sure the link could help you also and I'm sure you would have no trouble in fast tracking it as I hear you're well connected :)
Lividov, Marlow says...
8:24am Thu 11 Feb 10
Blaze Falconburger, High Wycombe says...
9:40am Thu 11 Feb 10
micklefield72, high wycombe says...
12:27pm Thu 11 Feb 10
Tharus Bond, Flackwell Heath says...
12:32pm Thu 11 Feb 10
Grrrrrrr_PC_gone_mad wrote:There is no road fund license what we pay is car tax! I've said this before all this tax does is allow us to have a vehicle on public highway. NONE of this money we pay goes to the roads!
To those who've experienced pothole damage try this site http://www.potholes. co.uk. It give comprehensive advice on how to make a claim and the correct procedures to follow. To those who have poo poo'ed others who wish to use a facility they are entitled to use via their local authority please remember that said authority has a statutory obligation to maintain the highways regardless of the weather and that we all pay a road fund license from which a portion is meant to go towards the provision of said maintenance of the highways so please don't belittle those who are only pursuing what they are rightly entitiled to. As for you Mr Shakespeare thanks for the best laugh I've had all week and the first sighting I've had of a road resurfacing team (not just pot hole filling team) in the 6 years I've lived in Gt Missenden and if you wish to make a claim for your damage I'm sure the link could help you also and I'm sure you would have no trouble in fast tracking it as I hear you're well connected :)
Craig...., Coventry says...
1:01pm Thu 11 Feb 10
Blaze Falconburger wrote:If they were run flat tyres then there would be no need to drive at 15mph;-)
It will have run flat tyres if it is a newish BMW and they haven't been previously replaced with non run flat tyres. Run flat tyres are not supposed to be repaired if they have been driven on with no pressure. They are designed to get you home (within a reasonable distance) without the need to change tyres, at a sensible speed.
johnmfritz, johnmfritz says...
1:11pm Thu 11 Feb 10
sai-diva, highwycombe says...
2:06pm Thu 11 Feb 10
micklefield72 wrote:It's not like he can't afford it, the amount we pay him
all i want to say is , i hope he does not put the repairs on expencess. let him pay out of his own pocket like the rest of us have to.
Grrrrrrr_PC_gone_mad, Prestwood says...
6:20pm Thu 11 Feb 10
de.co.uk from the Inland Revenue is a handy tool.
The Latchie, Loudwater says...
7:41pm Thu 11 Feb 10
Steve Totteridge Hill, says...
10:50am Fri 12 Feb 10
I'd also bet he'd win and get paid & I wouldn't...
Kania 2000, hughenden says...
5:11pm Fri 12 Feb 10
Tharus Bond, Flackwell Heath says...
1:27pm Wed 17 Feb 10
Councillor David Shakespeare
Local Links
Local Information
Enter your postcode, town or place name
moosecl, hazlemere says...
11:15am Wed 10 Feb 10
Justice at last!!!!