Local councils paid around €28,200 in compensation to drivers for damage to their cars between 2003 and 2010, according to official figures.
Hundreds of claims were filed with the 68 local councils in Malta and Gozo requesting compensation for damage caused to cars over the past seven-and-a-half years.
However, figures recently tabled in Parliament reveal that a small percentage of claims were paid out – €28,208 in seven years, with Naxxar forking out the highest amount – €4,192 – in 2003.
Some councils such as Xagħra, Xewkija, Xgħajra, Fontana and Marsa, among others, did not receive any claims for compensation.
But other localities also turned down a high number of complaints. Naxxar refused around 24 requests for compensation, amounting to over €2,500, saying these were unjustified.
San Ġwann also turned down around 33 claims – saying a number of cases were caused by weather conditions, citing an ‘Act of God’, and forwarded others to a private developer.
President of the Local Councils Association Michael Cohen said the most common claim people made was to recover the cost of a punctured tyre or a dented rim.
“From my experience, cases are usually a one-off, as not many people actually file a request for damages,” he said.
The claims are made directly to the local council in writing and evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the mayor and the executive secretary.
“If there is enough proof that the council is responsible, I strongly believe they should shoulder their responsibility and compensate the drivers,” he said.
Mr Cohen admitted that not all cases of damage were easy to prove but he encouraged people not to give up – even if the case did not fall under the responsibility of the council.
“They usually give up on the case – especially if they are told that it’s the responsibility of Transport Malta or another government department, for example,” he said.
Two years ago, the courts ordered the Valletta local council to pay over €2,000 to a man who claimed he had an accident as a result of a damaged road, the Jews Sally Port road, which had not been properly maintained. The hole in question developed after part of the road caved in a week before the accident.
The court decided that, since the council had not taken timely action to repair the road, it had to pay damages.
Mr Cohen said it was important for people to produce enough evidence, including photos of the damage caused, which should be taken as soon as the accident takes place.
Providing a police report also strengthened the claim. “It means that the person has made an official statement that will be on their conscience,” he said.