A grandmother has been left with a broken window for weeks after the glass was allegedly shattered by a stone thrown up by a council lawn mower

Allison Ford, 58, said she heard the grass cutters near her home in Peterlee just before 11am on August 13, but was shocked to hear a loud noise as the glass cracked.

Allison, who is partially sighted and was widowed last year, said council staff she spoke to agreed the stone had accidentally broken the window but now she has been told the insurance company is refusing to pay out.

Allison, a mother-of-two with three grandchildren, said: “I was sitting having a cup of tea. I saw the grass cutter go past. It was when he was coming back the stone flicked up and hit the window.

“It was so loud it was unreal.”

Allison, who lives on Pentland Close, spoke to one of the man’s colleagues as he was too far away by the time she opened the door.

She said: “One of the grass cutters actually picked the stone up out of my front garden. It is paved. There is nothing else in the garden and said: ‘Yeah it is ours because you can see the blade marks on the stone where it has flicked out from underneath the machine.'”

Allison said he took photographs and said he would report it.

She said an hour later a supervisor came down and said it would have to be reported to the council using a form online.

She said: “I kept ringing and was told it would be easier if I claimed on my home insurance. But I thought: ‘I don’t think so’.

“It is £100 excess I would be paying and then my premiums are going to go up in November. I did not put the window out.

“Why should I have to claim on my insurance for something that wasn’t down to me.”  

Allison was then told it would be handled by the council’s insurance company as it involved one of their vehicles.

She said Zurich told her they would need evidence before they would pay out to have the window repaired.

She added: “The first pane of the double glazing is still shattered. I have had nothing from either Zurich or the council.”

Feeling frustrated, Allison contacted her local MP Grahame Morris who began making enquiries on her behalf.

He said: “I am deeply disappointed that this issue remains unresolved.

"Durham County Council has already acknowledged that the damage was caused by a stone thrown up by grass-cutting machinery.

"The ongoing refusal to accept liability does a disservice to my constituent and damages the reputation of the council.

“When accidents occur, a council committed to serving its community should act swiftly to address the problem at the earliest opportunity.

"I urge Durham County Council to reconsider its stance and take responsibility by replacing the window they have admitted to damaging.”

Durham County Council said the claim has been rejected by its insurers.

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A spokesperson for Durham County Council said: “We have robust safety measures in place for all our operations and refer such claims to our insurers for consideration.

"In this particular case, our insurers denied the claim on the grounds that sufficient checks had been made to the machinery and area before the work was carried out.”

Zurich has been contacted for comment by the Northern Echo but has not responded.