A motorcyclist whose bike sustained nearly £1,000 worth of damage thanks to a faulty road surface has been left out of pocket and with no bike for the TT period.

Aaron Grist, a 30-year-old insurance broker from Douglas, was turning into Michael Street in Peel when his bike hit a bent metal flap covering a hole in the road.

The sharp metal edge ripped open the sump of his bike causing pints of oil to gush out, leaving a long slick in the road.

’I had only been to Peel for an ice cream,’ he said.

’And as I turned into Michael Street to get some petrol my front wheel went over it and the bent flap flicked up and smashed the bottom of the engine.’

He added, he thought the hole was to put a sign in when the road is closed, but to add insult to injury, it has now simply been filled in.

’At first I thought it had blown the back tyre because the bike was all over the place, then I saw the huge trail of oil going down the street,’ he said.

He waited by the damaged bike and phoned the police and Department of Infrastructure to report the oil spill.

He said he thought the hinged flap may have been installed the wrong way round, with the opening end facing the traffic flow, hence the damage which had left it bent and dangerous.

’Everyone walking past said it had been like that for weeks and at least one person said they had already reported it.

’Others said they were surprised it hadn’t caused damage or injury before,’ he said.

’When the DoI workers turned up to clean the road they said they hadn’t been told about it and if they had, they would have fixed it immediately.

’But my insurance company says it’s not responsible and I’m left with a ruined TT and £900 out of pocket. I shouldn’t really have to be spending my time and money on something that should’ve been sorted by the DoI.’

The bike, a custom-built frame based around a 900cc Triumph triple engine, was only recently completed and had been on the road for just a week when the acccident happened.

But with an £1,150 excess on his comprehensive insurance policy, Aaron said he might have to pursue the matter in the small claims court.

A spokesman for the DoI, which is responsible fror road repairs, said: ’Unfortunately, this defect was not reported to us until after the accident.

’When it was reported to our customer services team it was made safe within 24 hours.

’We urge anyone who spots a problem with our roads or pavements to please report it at www.reportaproblem.im or by calling our customer services team on 850000.

’If it is a safety matter, we aim to make it safe within 24 hours.

’Often, the repair is completed with a few hours of the call but at the moment 98 per cent of safety-related defects are resolved within the time target.

’Anyone who disputes our insurer’s decision on liability is entitled to refer the issue to the courts, this could be done quite easily through the small claims process.’

Mr Grist said he felt it should have been better handled by the government.

’I am currently awaiting a response from Peel MHK Ray Harmer, however I will be taking them to small claims court if he is unable to help,’ he said.