Latest news with #RobertNewcombe
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
‘If we don't fix Britain's potholes, more people like my husband will die'
When police knocked on the door one night in September 2022 – blue lights flashing through the glass – Aileen Newcombe had no idea her life was about to change forever. In 51 years of marriage, she and her husband Robert had only spent five nights apart – back in 1980, when he flew to Madrid to watch Nottingham Forest win the European Cup. But a single pothole meant they would never share a bed again. Robert was a keen motorcyclist. Over the course of his life, he had upgraded from simple runarounds to a Harley Davidson and, eventually, the Scout Bobber he was driving on the day he died. Aged 70, he was, ironically, out for a memorial drive in remembrance of Sonny Barger – the founder of the Hells Angels – when he hit a pothole on the A43 in Northamptonshire and was thrown from his vehicle. Police concluded Robert had slid 170ft before landing on the kerb of a roundabout, suffering catastrophic head injuries and a broken neck. He died at the scene. 'He was the safest driver in the world,' Aileen says from the sitting room of her son John's house, in Derbyshire, where she now lives. 'It is a disgrace that our roads are in this state. A disgrace.' The growing pothole crisis Potholes continue to claim lives across Britain. According to the latest Department for Transport figures, poor or defective road surfaces – including visible hazards like potholes and cracks – contributed to 7,195 deaths and injuries in the UK between 2014 and 2023. Among them were 97 fatalities. The grim statistics underline the dire state of the country's roads. Government data shows that one in five councils in England report at least 10 per cent of their minor roads are in poor condition – and the outlook is only getting worse. In 2024, just 2.5 per cent of B and C roads maintained by local authorities in England received any form of maintenance. That equates to a mere 130ft per mile – the lowest level since records began in 1985. According to the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), there are now more than a million potholes across England and Wales – an average of six for every mile driven. The toll on motorists is staggering: in 2024 alone, pothole-related damage cost drivers £579 million, up by more than £100 million from the previous year, insurers report. For Aileen, John and the rest of the family, meanwhile, the cost has been immeasurable. Robert, a retired hospital porter, was riding with a group of fellow bikers when he struck a pothole while overtaking. At his inquest, the coroner concluded that his death was the result of a 'degraded road surface' on the A43. Aileen has now launched legal action against North Northamptonshire Council, seeking 'substantial damages' – not only to clear her husband's name, after she says the council 'tried to blame' him for the crash, but also in the hope of pressuring local authorities across Britain to take better care of the country's crumbling roads. Aileen's legal claim alleges that the section of the A43 where Robert died had melted and re-solidified as a result of 'poor quality repairs', creating a 'dangerous, undulating carriageway'. The council denies liability. Unless a settlement is reached, the case will go before a judge. On the night she discovered he had died, Aileen says she was getting ready to have dinner with John and his three children. Robert had been due to join them all after his ride. 'I opened the door to the police and said, 'Oh please don't tell me he had an accident'. I never even contemplated the idea that it could be something worse. But then the young lady said, 'Can we come in?' and when she wouldn't tell me why, I knew he was dead. 'All they told me was that he had lost control of his bike. I said there was no way on earth he would have done so. 'This is supposed to be a rich country. I just don't understand why the roads are in such a state – it simply shouldn't be like this.' The human cost of road disrepair Motorists have been complaining about the situation for decades, but the problem is now worse than ever. Between January and November 2024, local authorities in the UK received nearly a million pothole reports – that's 3,122 every day, and the highest number recorded in five years, according to analysis by the pressure group Round Our Way. Labour has pledged to fix an extra million potholes annually and has given councils an additional £500 million for repairs. But the scale of the crisis remains overwhelming. The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) estimates that fixing every pothole in Britain would require filling one every 18 seconds, around the clock, for the next decade – and critics say the current funding 'doesn't touch the sides'. They highlight a succession of fatal accidents as proof of a historic lack of action that has left the road network at breaking point. Earlier this year, a 74-year-old Porsche driver from Reigate was killed after swerving to avoid a large pothole on the A272 Horsham Road near Petworth, West Sussex – one that had already been reported to the council – and crashing into a BMW. The other driver was left with serious injuries. Cyclists face similar dangers. In 2019, 47-year-old nurse Alison Doyle, a breast cancer survivor, died during a ride on Bold Lane in Lancashire after hitting a pothole and swerving into the path of an oncoming car. 'All I heard was the rattle of a bike and the hiss of a wheel, like someone had a puncture,' recalled her friend Diane Whorton, who was cycling behind. 'I saw Alison losing control and swerving into the other side of the road where there was a car. 'There was nothing she could do. The only thing in the road was a massive pothole, the sort you can't see from a distance. It was the only thing she could have hit.' Nine years earlier, army officer and Afghanistan veteran Jonathan Allen, 29, was riding a bicycle in the rain on a stretch of the A338 in Wiltshire when he was killed by a lorry after swerving around a pothole. 'It is extraordinary to think that this is a man who had survived two tours in Afghanistan, but who died in Britain because of the state of our roads,' says Edmund King, the president of the Automobile Association (AA) and a prominent campaigner for improved road conditions. 'When we talk to drivers, we find that their biggest issue without doubt is potholes,' he adds. 'They cause significant damage to their vehicles and we deal with over 60,000 breakdowns related to pothole damage a year. For drivers who pay 60 per cent in fuel duty plus VAT, they feel it is fair enough to ask for roads they can use. It feels like a basic right.' Why Britain's roads are in such poor shape Countries with cold, wet climates, like Britain, are especially prone to potholes. During heavy rain, water seeps into cracks in the road surface, weakening the soil beneath. In winter, freezing and thawing cycles cause these cracks to expand. Moreover, the high levels of congestion on British roads add extra stress, breaking up the surface and causing asphalt and soil to erode. And yet, King notes that just the other side of the Channel, in northern France – which also experiences cold winters and high rainfall – the roads are in a very different state. 'I was cycling around the Loire Valley and I didn't come across a single pothole in over a week, it is astonishing,' he says. The issue, King argues, is the reactive nature of our highway authority. Councils are supposed to address potholes when they reach 40mm deep and 150mm wide, but one in eight local authorities now waits until they've grown to 300mm. Robert Newcombe's accident in Northamptonshire occurred because the pothole he hit wasn't addressed until it had become dangerous. His son John visited the site a week later and noted that the hole was quickly filled in after the crash. However, due to a lack of adequate funding from the Department for Transport, critics warn that such 'patchwork' repairs normally don't last and the same pothole reappears within a year. 'It's extraordinary,' says Duncan Dollimore from the charity Cycling UK. 'The value of the road network is around £400 billion but we're only spending one percent on it, which means we have this valuable asset but no long-term maintenance plan for it – instead all we have is a short-term fix-the-hole approach which means the problem is getting bigger and the roads are getting more dangerous.' As Dollimore notes, the size of a pothole is not the only factor in determining how dangerous it is – if it is on a bend or on a downhill section of road, it is far more likely to cause injuries or deaths, as people can't see it until it is too late. A call for accountability and action While Aileen hopes that publicity surrounding her case will lead to change, life without Robert will never be the same. 'We didn't get him home for 23 days after the accident because the autopsy and coroner's report took so long, and that broke my heart,' she says. When she finally saw Robert's body, she felt some relief. 'He looked just like Bob, the only thing that bothered me was that he didn't have his glasses on so I found them and popped them on.' Now, she tries to remember him as he was in life – and has framed a picture that she took the day he died, minutes before he left for that fateful ride. 'He looked as happy as I've ever seen him,' she says. 'He loved that bike. He was 14 when he started work and he was 68 when he retired and in the two years before he passed he spent as much time on it as he possibly could.' As for the lawsuit – Robert's family knows he would be proud of them for taking on the council. 'Whatever my dad did, he did it properly,' says John. 'When he took something on he saw it though; he wanted to protect people and he did what he thought was right and just. In our place, he would have done the same thing. He would have done it no matter what the personal cost.' Aileen nods along, with tears in her eyes. 'He was my best friend,' she says. 'I met him when I was 17 years old and he made everything right. I was very proud of him and that makes the loss even harder.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘If we don't fix Britain's potholes, more people like my husband will die'
When police knocked on the door one night in September 2022 – blue lights flashing through the glass – Aileen Newcombe had no idea her life was about to change forever. In 51 years of marriage, she and her husband Robert had only spent five nights apart – back in 1980, when he flew to Madrid to watch Nottingham Forest win the European Cup. But a single pothole meant they would never share a bed again. Robert was a keen motorcyclist. Over the course of his life, he had upgraded from simple runarounds to a Harley Davidson and, eventually, the Scout Bobber he was driving on the day he died. Aged 70, he was, ironically, out for a memorial drive in remembrance of Sonny Barger – the founder of the Hells Angels – when he hit a pothole on the A43 in Northamptonshire and was thrown from his vehicle. Police concluded Robert had slid 170ft before landing on the kerb of a roundabout, suffering catastrophic head injuries and a broken neck. He died at the scene. 'He was the safest driver in the world,' Aileen says from the sitting room of her son John's house, in Derbyshire, where she now lives. 'It is a disgrace that our roads are in this state. A disgrace.' Potholes continue to claim lives across Britain. According to the latest Department for Transport figures, poor or defective road surfaces – including visible hazards like potholes and cracks – contributed to 7,195 deaths and injuries in the UK between 2014 and 2023. Among them were 97 fatalities. The grim statistics underline the dire state of the country's roads. Government data shows that one in five councils in England report at least 10 per cent of their minor roads are in poor condition – and the outlook is only getting worse. In 2024, just 2.5 per cent of B and C roads maintained by local authorities in England received any form of maintenance. That equates to a mere 130ft per mile – the lowest level since records began in 1985. According to the Royal Automobile Club (RAC), there are now more than a million potholes across England and Wales – an average of six for every mile driven. The toll on motorists is staggering: in 2024 alone, pothole-related damage cost drivers £579 million, up by more than £100 million from the previous year, insurers report. For Aileen, John and the rest of the family, meanwhile, the cost has been immeasurable. Robert, a retired hospital porter, was riding with a group of fellow bikers when he struck a pothole while overtaking. At his inquest, the coroner concluded that his death was the result of a 'degraded road surface' on the A43. Aileen has now launched legal action against North Northamptonshire Council, seeking 'substantial damages' – not only to clear her husband's name, after she says the council 'tried to blame' him for the crash, but also in the hope of pressuring local authorities across Britain to take better care of the country's crumbling roads. Aileen's legal claim alleges that the section of the A43 where Robert died had melted and re-solidified as a result of 'poor quality repairs', creating a 'dangerous, undulating carriageway'. The council denies liability. Unless a settlement is reached, the case will go before a judge. On the night she discovered he had died, Aileen says she was getting ready to have dinner with John and his three children. Robert had been due to join them all after his ride. 'I opened the door to the police and said, 'Oh please don't tell me he had an accident'. I never even contemplated the idea that it could be something worse. But then the young lady said, 'Can we come in?' and when she wouldn't tell me why, I knew he was dead. 'All they told me was that he had lost control of his bike. I said there was no way on earth he would have done so. 'This is supposed to be a rich country. I just don't understand why the roads are in such a state – it simply shouldn't be like this.' Motorists have been complaining about the situation for decades, but the problem is now worse than ever. Between January and November 2024, local authorities received nearly a million pothole reports – that's 3,122 every day, and the highest number recorded in five years, according to analysis by the pressure group Round Our Way. Labour has pledged to fix an extra million potholes annually and has given councils an additional £500 million for repairs. But the scale of the crisis remains overwhelming. The Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) estimates that fixing every pothole in Britain would require filling one every 18 seconds, around the clock, for the next decade – and critics say the current funding 'doesn't touch the sides'. They highlight a succession of fatal accidents as proof of a historic lack of action that has left the road network at breaking point. Earlier this year, a 74-year-old Porsche driver from Reigate was killed after swerving to avoid a large pothole on the A272 Horsham Road near Petworth, West Sussex – one that had already been reported to the council – and crashing into a BMW. The other driver was left with serious injuries. Cyclists face similar dangers. In 2019, 47-year-old nurse Alison Doyle, a breast cancer survivor, died during a ride on Bold Lane in Lancashire after hitting a pothole and swerving into the path of an oncoming car. 'All I heard was the rattle of a bike and the hiss of a wheel, like someone had a puncture,' recalled her friend Diane Whorton, who was cycling behind. 'I saw Alison losing control and swerving into the other side of the road where there was a car. 'There was nothing she could do. The only thing in the road was a massive pothole, the sort you can't see from a distance. It was the only thing she could have hit.' Nine years earlier, army officer and Afghanistan veteran Jonathan Allen, 29, was riding a bicycle in the rain on a stretch of the A338 in Wiltshire when he was killed by a lorry after swerving around a pothole. 'It is extraordinary to think that this is a man who had survived two tours in Afghanistan, but who died in Britain because of the state of our roads,' says Edmund King, the president of the Automobile Association (AA) and a prominent campaigner for improved road conditions. 'When we talk to drivers, we find that their biggest issue without doubt is potholes,' he adds. 'They cause significant damage to their vehicles and we deal with over 60,000 breakdowns related to pothole damage a year. For drivers who pay 60 per cent in fuel duty plus VAT, they feel it is fair enough to ask for roads they can use. It feels like a basic right.' Countries with cold, wet climates, like Britain, are especially prone to potholes. During heavy rain, water seeps into cracks in the road surface, weakening the soil beneath. In winter, freezing and thawing cycles cause these cracks to expand. Moreover, the high levels of congestion on British roads add extra stress, breaking up the surface and causing asphalt and soil to erode. And yet, King notes that just the other side of the Channel, in northern France – which also experiences cold winters and high rainfall – the roads are in a very different state. 'I was cycling around the Loire Valley and I didn't come across a single pothole in over a week, it is astonishing,' he says. The issue, King argues, is the reactive nature of our highway authority. Councils are supposed to address potholes when they reach 40mm deep and 150mm wide, but one in eight local authorities now waits until they've grown to 300mm. Robert Newcombe's accident in Northamptonshire occurred because the pothole he hit wasn't addressed until it had become dangerous. His son John visited the site a week later and noted that the hole was quickly filled in after the crash. However, due to a lack of adequate funding from the Department for Transport, critics warn that such 'patchwork' repairs normally don't last and the same pothole reappears within a year. 'It's extraordinary,' says Duncan Dollimore from the charity Cycling UK. 'The value of the road network is around £400 billion but we're only spending one percent on it, which means we have this valuable asset but no long-term maintenance plan for it – instead all we have is a short-term fix-the-hole approach which means the problem is getting bigger and the roads are getting more dangerous.' As Dollimore notes, the size of a pothole is not the only factor in determining how dangerous it is – if it is on a bend or on a downhill section of road, it is far more likely to cause injuries or deaths, as people can't see it until it is too late. While Aileen hopes that publicity surrounding her case will lead to change, life without Robert will never be the same. 'We didn't get him home for 23 days after the accident because the autopsy and coroner's report took so long, and that broke my heart,' she says. When she finally saw Robert's body, she felt some relief. 'He looked just like Bob, the only thing that bothered me was that he didn't have his glasses on so I found them and popped them on.' Now, she tries to remember him as he was in life – and has framed a picture that she took the day he died, minutes before he left for that fateful ride. 'He looked as happy as I've ever seen him,' she says. 'He loved that bike. He was 14 when he started work and he was 68 when he retired and in the two years before he passed he spent as much time on it as he possibly could.' As for the lawsuit – Robert's family knows he would be proud of them for taking on the council. 'Whatever my dad did, he did it properly,' says John. 'When he took something on he saw it though; he wanted to protect people and he did what he thought was right and just. In our place, he would have done the same thing. He would have done it no matter what the personal cost.' Aileen nods along, with tears in her eyes. 'He was my best friend,' she says. 'I met him when I was 17 years old and he made everything right. I was very proud of him and that makes the loss even harder.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- BBC News
Family sue council over motor biker's death on 'degraded' road
The family of a man who died in a motorbike accident are suing the council responsible for the road he died on.A coroner concluded that Robert Newcombe, 70, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, had lost control of his bike because of a "degraded road surface" on the A43 in son John Newcombe said: "The thought of somebody else having to go through this is horrifying. If you know somebody who rides a bike, you shouldn't have to worry about them coming home."North Northamptonshire Council is denying liability and claims the road surface did not cause the accident. Mr Newcombe, a retired union official, was out on a group motorbike ride intending to visit a memorial to the founder of the Hells Angels when the accident happened on 25 September 2022. He suffered head injuries after falling off his bike and died at the scene, despite paramedics' efforts to save wife Aileen Newcombe, 71, said: "We'd been away the week before at the caravan we'd bought for the retirement, and he wanted to come home for this special ride out."The plan was to pick up the Northamptonshire group and then make their way to Staffordshire, and that's when the accident happened."There was a dreaded knock at the door that I wouldn't wish on anybody."John Newcombe, 47, said: "The wording they [the police] used was 'he'd lost control of his bike'."And I do remember very distinctly saying to the police officer 'there's no way my dad's lost control of his bike'. He was one of the safest men I've ever known."Mrs Newcombe added: "I don't want any form of guilt on him, because I know he did nothing wrong."He was a union man, and he fought for what was right, and I know he'd want me to fight it because he would have done." The coroner's report said Mr Newcombe had approached a section of road where there was a right hand turning lane for the village of Walgrave, and began to overtake a vehicle also travelling in the southbound direction. As he began this manoeuvre, his motorcycle travelled across a section of degraded road surface which caused Mr Newcombe to lose control of his vehicle. Despite attempted corrective action, he was unable to stabilise the bike and became separated from report recorded the cause of death as a "head injury sustained in a road traffic accident".Ken Brough, personal injury lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, who is representing the family, said: "No family should have to suffer the pain of a loved one not returning from a motorbike ride."Sadly, the inquest into the death of Robert Newcombe concluded that he lost his life as a direct result of the poor state of the road."The raised and rippled surface caused Mr Newcombe to be thrown off his bike, resulting in his death."All councils have a responsibility to ensure they adequately inspect and maintain all roads, regardless of whether this critical process is outsourced or conducted in-house."We are hopeful North Northamptonshire Council will settle our civil case with Mrs Newcombe swiftly and make sure lessons are learnt, protecting future lives." The family's solicitors are also claiming the council failed to "heed to previous reports from the public, that the road was in a poor state of repair".A spokesperson for the council said: "Any death on the road is a sad and tragic event, and we offer our condolences to the family and friends of Mr Newcombe. "As this relates to ongoing legal proceedings, we do not feel that it would be appropriate to say anything further at this stage."John Newcombe said: "Its about making sure that nobody else has to go through it. I know what my dad would be saying, 'nobody else can be put through this'."Mrs Newcombe added: "I grieve for what we've lost, and I grieve for what we'd planned, and I grieve for what he's missed."I'm totally spent, emotionally, mentally, physically. I'm just flat out."
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Widow is suing her council over the death of her husband - as she says he 'died after hitting pothole'
A heartbroken widow is suing a council over a pothole which she claims caused her husband's death. Robert Newcombe, 70, died after his motorbike hit a crater in the road on September 25, 2022. The grandfather-of-three was riding with a group of bikers to a memorial event in Staffordshire when he was thrown from his motorbike along the A43 in Walgrave, Northamptonshire. The retired hospital porter slid for 170ft (53m) before smashing into the kerb of a roundabout. He suffered catastrophic head injuries and a broken neck before going into cardiac arrest. Despite the efforts of medics, he could not be saved and died at the scene. A coroner later ruled his death had been caused as a result of a 'degraded road surface'. His wife Aileen, 71, has now launched High Court legal action against North Northamptonshire Council claiming 'substantial damages'. The local authority denies liability and the case will go before a judge if the two sides cannot agree a settlement. Aileen, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, said: 'I want his name exonerated because they are not accepting responsibility for what happened. 'I just want justice for my husband and for other families to not suffer a similar heartbreak. 'Even if I get nothing, they need to be held accountable for what they've done to me and his family.' The widow said the country 'has enough money' to make sure roads are looked after properly, adding: 'The council knew about this pothole and the state of the road. 'He was a union man with morals and principles, he stood up for what he believed was just and right - I'm only doing what he would have done himself. 'I think that's the least I can do for him - to make sure he gets justice. 'It's not about the money, they could give me a million pounds and it wouldn't come close to replacing him. 'I would do anything to have him back. I'm totally lost without him. 'I am physically, emotionally and mentally spent - it has had a profound impact on me. 'We'd got so many plans for our retirement, like going away in our caravan, and they've all just gone. 'I didn't even get chance to hold his hand and say goodbye. In 51 years of marriage the longest we were apart was no longer than five days. 'At his funeral over 300 bikers followed him, he would have loved it. If a funeral could be beautiful, this was it. 'I miss him terribly, I have a cry for him every morning and every night.' Robert, who was also a union official for Unison, had been on his way the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to visit a memorial to the founder of the Hells Angels. He overtook a vehicle when he hit the pothole, which led to him coming off his Indian Scout Bobber machine. Mum-of-one Aileen, a former council worker herself, added: 'They were meeting up with a group of Northamptonshire bikers first, which is why he was down that way. 'There were no warnings about the state of the road. He came off, broke his back and neck and had a cardiac arrest. 'I wasn't even able to see him until 25 days after he died. 'I just feel sick thinking about it - I've not really had chance to grieve with this hanging over me. 'The council have never said anything to me, nothing by way of an apology or sympathies, all I want is for them to take responsibility. 'They are just trying to wash their hands of it - even claiming things which went against what a coroner, the police and several witnesses said at the inquest. 'They claimed he was speeding and made a dangerous maneuver, which is not the case. They have tried to blame him and I'm not having it.' Ken Brough, personal injury lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, who is representing Aileen said: 'No family should have to suffer the pain of a loved one not returning from a motorbike ride. 'Sadly, the inquest into the death of Robert Newcombe concluded that he lost his life as a direct result of the poor state of the road on which he was driving. 'The raised and rippled surface caused Mr Newcombe to be thrown off his bike, resulting in his death. 'Although it is unusual for a motorbike rider to lose their life as a result of poor road conditions, it is not unheard of. 'All councils have a responsibility to ensure they adequately inspect and maintain all roads, regardless of whether this critical process is outsourced or conducted in-house. 'The inspection process must be fit for purpose in practical terms and not just conducted as a tick-boxing exercise. 'We are hopeful North Northamptonshire council will settle our civil case with Mrs Newcombe swiftly and make sure lessons are learnt, protecting future lives.' The lawyers also say in her claim for compensation: 'Poor quality repairs had caused the A43 in the area of the turning to Walgrave to become dangerous, with the tarmac melting and then solidifying, creating a dangerous, undulating carriageway.' They have accused the council of failing to heed numerous previous reports from members of the public about the poor state of the road. Road charity Brake is funding Aileen's legal action but said they could not comment on individual cases.
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Telegraph
‘A pothole killed my husband, now I'm suing the council'
A widow is suing North Northamptonshire council over a pothole which she claims caused her husband's death. Robert Newcombe died aged 70 on Sep 25 2022 when he was thrown from his motorbike, which his wife, Aileen, 71, claims was caused by the condition of the road. Mr Newcombe, a retired hospital porter, was travelling with a group of other bikers to a memorial event in Staffordshire when he was thrown from the vehicle while overtaking. A police crash investigator said Mr Newcombe slid 170ft before landing on the kerb of a roundabout on the A43 in Walgrave, Northamptonshire. He suffered catastrophic head injuries and a broken neck before he went into cardiac arrest. At his inquest, a coroner ruled Mr Newcombe's death was caused by a 'degraded road surface' on that stretch of the A43. Ms Newcombe, a former council worker, has now launched legal action against North Northamptonshire Council for 'substantial damages'. She said she is taking the action to exonerate her husband because the council 'tried to blame' him for the crash. The local authority denies liability, and the case will go before a judge unless the two sides can agree a settlement. Her legal claim for compensation alleges the road surface had melted and re-solidified due to 'poor quality repairs' which had created 'a dangerous, undulating carriageway'. Ms Newcombe, of Ilkeston, Derbyshire, said: 'The council have never said anything to me, nothing by way of an apology or sympathies, all I want is for them to take responsibility. 'They are just trying to wash their hands of it – even claiming things which went against what a coroner, the police and several witnesses said at the inquest. 'They claimed he was speeding and made a dangerous manoeuvre, which is not the case. They have tried to blame him and I'm not having it. 'The nation has enough money to make sure the roads are maintained properly. The council knew about this pothole and the state of the road.' A passionate biker, Mr Newcombe was riding his Indian Scout Bobber motorbike when he died in 2022. Ms Newcombe said about the day her husband died: 'There were no warnings about the state of the road. He came off, broke his back and neck and had a cardiac arrest. She was not allowed to see him until 25 days later, and said she has 'not really had a chance to grieve with this hanging over me'. She added: 'I didn't even get the chance to hold his hand and say goodbye,' she said. 'In 51 years of marriage the longest we were apart was no longer than five days.' 'Raised and rippled' road caused death Ken Brough, personal injury lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, who is representing Ms Newcombe, said: 'No family should have to suffer the pain of a loved one not returning from a motorbike ride. 'Sadly, the inquest into the death of Robert Newcombe concluded that he lost his life as a direct result of the poor state of the road on which he was driving. 'The raised and rippled surface caused Mr Newcombe to be thrown off his bike, resulting in his death. 'All councils have a responsibility to ensure they adequately inspect and maintain all roads, regardless of whether this critical process is outsourced or conducted in-house. 'The inspection process must be fit for purpose in practical terms and not just conducted as a tick-boxing exercise. 'We are hopeful North Northamptonshire council will settle our civil case with Ms Newcombe swiftly and make sure lessons are learnt, protecting future lives.' They have accused the council of failing to heed numerous previous reports from members of the public about the poor state of the road.
