Council asked to foot bill for ‘damage caused by drink-driver’

At their meeting on Monday evening (August 4), members were informed by Cllr Phillip Brett that the wall at Sherwood Avenue was damaged when it was hit by a drink-driver last summer. While the driver was prosecuted, the damage to the wall was not recorded, so residents have been unable to recover the costs necessary to carry out repairs. They have since approached the council asking for assistance.

Cllr Brett claimed that children are entering and leaving the area through the hole in the wall and claimed that some have been injured doing so.

His proposal that the council should pay the £1,500 repair bill was backed by several members, including Cllrs Noreen McClelland, Marie Mackessy and Alderman John Blair, who pointed to the “unique nature of the case.”

However, concerns were raised by Cllr Robert Hill that members may be “setting a precedent that could cost the council dearly in years to come.”

The DUP man suggested that residents living in the development should “club together” and pay for the repairs themselves.

Members agreed with a suggestion from deputy chief executive Hugh Kelly that formal legal advice be sought before any further action is taken.