Ian Davis suffered shoulder injuries and broken bones

A cyclist who was badly injured following an accident on poorly surfaced roads in Berkshire has been awarded £7,600 in compensation.

49-year-old Ian Davis was cycling towards Newbury when he rode over a pothole and fell from his bike in 2006. Mr David dislocated his shoulder, injured his hands, hip and ankle, and suffered broken ribs.

West Berkshire District Council admitted it had not fulfilled its duty of care when it failed to regularly inspect its roads. Since Mr Davis’ accident approximately £150,000 was spent resurfacing and maintaining that particular stretch of road, and an additional £100,000 on other areas of the road.

Mr Davis’ advocate called the win “a triumph for cyclists who have suffered injuries due to poorly maintained roads,” (BBC News, 2009). In fact, according to Local Government Association statistics, councils throughout England and Wales spent £1 million more on compensation for road-users injured by pot-holes last year than they did repairing roads – spending £53million in payouts.