A MOTORIST has been left stunned after being told he must fork out £400 for damage council workers inflicted on his car.

Peter Connell's Suzuki S-Cross was scratched when it was struck by gravel kicked up by a machine that Inverclyde Council staff were using to cut a nearby grass verge.

Mr Connell, of Kilmacolm, was shocked when his claim for the repair costs incurred was rejected.

A local authority investigation found 'no evidence of council negligence', but Peter has branded the council's reply a 'nonsense'.

Municipal Buildings bosses say claim was rejected as they were satisfied that 'all reasonable precautionary steps were taken to prevent accidental damage', including checking for obvious debris prior to and during cutting.

But Mr Connell insists that if adequate checks were carried out there wouldn't have been a problem.

He said: "The reality is my car was damaged, whether they checked for debris or not.

"If you ask 'What caused the car to be damaged in the first place?', the answer is because council workers were cutting the grass.

"Had they not cut the grass, my car wouldn't have been damaged."

Mr Connell also expressed concerns about that danger that could have been posed to children who attend the nearby nursery.

He said: "There's a lot of nursery walks down here, they have children walking up and down.

"If they were cutting the grass and the gravel had hit a child in the head, would the council have had the same response?"

After receiving the decision on his claim on October 8, Mr Connell says he attempted to get in touch with officials, but received no further response.

However the council claim they have been in communication with Mr Connell throughout.

Mr Connell said: "I'm not even looking for an apology.

"I'm not asking them to admit liability - you can settle a claim without admitting liability, I understand that.

"I would just like to be reimbursed the cost of the damage."