Mother takes council to court over a pothole that damaged her car and WINS

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:06, 28 June 2026 | Updated: 21:25, 28 June 2026 A mother-of-three whose car was damaged by a pothole has won a two-year legal battle against Kent County Council. Sheila Burgman's shock absorber needed replacing after her blue Peugeot 307 smashed into the pothole in January 2024. The 75-year-old, from Maidstone, had to fork out £515 to fix the damage caused on London Road, in Allington, and made multiple claims to the council for compensation. However every single claim was denied and by the end of 2024 Ms Burgman decided to take the case to small claims court. She said: 'I'd had enough. I'd put in three or four claims by then. We were meant to have a date in court last November, but they [the council] didn't turn up.  'Then it was moved to the end of May and we both had our say on what happened.' A judge found in favour of Ms Burgman and she was awarded the full £515 she had to pay for her car and £155 in court costs. The 75-year-old said: 'I was buzzing with the result. I was very happy.  Sheila Burgman, 75, from Maidstone, took Kent County Council to a small claims court over the damage her blue Peugeot 307 sustained after smashing into a pothole - and won Pictured is the pothole that damaged the pensioner's car. She had to fork out more than £500 to repair her Peugeot but will win this back from the council after the judge ruled in her favour 'As the judge announced her decision, it was incredibly satisfying to simply sit in the same room as the man who had caused me so much grief for the last two years. 'I was told KCC didn't have the money and it would come from the taxpayer, but I'm a taxpayer myself and it was their fault. 'I wasn't driving fast that day. I'm a careful driver and if I lose money it's just not fair because I was driving carefully that day.' Ms Burgman, a former hairdresser, said she could have tried to get more money but didn't because she's 'not greedy'. She added: 'At the end of the day, it wasn't so much about the money. It was the principle because I knew I had a case. I knew I was in the right. 'I was determined to pursue it and didn't want to give up. I'm quite determined.  'It's really easy to do and more people should look at doing it if they think they're in the right. 'When the judge told me I'd won, I was over the moon. I felt rewarded.' Speaking two years ago, Ms Burgman said she wouldn't give up on the claims. She said: 'I'm like a dog with a bone, I won't give up. I'll take them through the courts if I have to.' Figures for January to April 2024 showed there were 18,853 potholes reported compared to 21,593 in the same period last year. A spokesperson for Kent County Council told the Daily Mail: 'Following a full investigation into Mrs Burgman's claim, KCC accepted liability for the damage caused by the pothole. 'A compensation offer was then made, reflecting the council's view that some of the vehicle parts being replaced were subject to normal wear and tear.  'Mrs Burgman did not accept that offer and pursued the matter through the small claims court. 'The Court subsequently determined the level of compensation to be awarded, and the claim has now been settled in accordance with that decision. The matter is now closed.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.