An 80-year-old driver is demanding £320 in compensation, claiming that a poorly signposted diversion around a motorway closure sent him “round and round in circles” and turned his journey into a 12-hour ordeal.
If Charles Stenner, an accountant, is successful the case could set a precedent for millions of other motorists.
Mr Stenner struggled to follow the alternative route to avoid the overnight closure of an eight-mile stretch of the M4 in Berkshire between junctions 13 and 12 while travelling from Torbay Hospital in Torquay, Devon, to his home in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
“I had been visiting someone who’s not expected to live for more than a few days,” he said. “But to get back it took me about 10 to 12 hours; it should have been four to five hours. It was a terrible, horrendous journey. I didn’t know the area. I ended up going round in circles because the junction was blocked. There was no clear indication to what alternative route I needed to take.”
He said the delay cost him £320 in lost earnings.
Advertisement
Highways England said: “We’re sorry to hear about the problems Mr Stenner experienced with his journey. The diversion routes that we used while completing our essential bridge maintenance on the M4 were carefully chosen, fully signed, and agreed in advance with local authorities. The majority of drivers used them without difficulty.”