A HONITON motorist is to pursue an insurance claim against Devon County Council after reading in last week's Herald that speed bumps in part of the town have been removed because they were illegal".

A HONITON motorist is to pursue an insurance claim against Devon County Council - after reading in last week's Herald that speed bumps in part of the town have been removed because they were "illegal".County councillor Roger Boote made the claim at a Honiton Town Council meeting, but a spokesperson for the county authority has now said the bumps, from Copper Castle to Waterleat Avenue, were legitimate.Kerrie Freeman, 30, of Langford Avenue, says she was "fuming" after reading last week's front page story."On October 1, in 2007, I was driving my Fiat Punto over the second speed bump from Copper Castle when I saw a nail sticking up out of it," she said."I swerved to avoid it and part of the speed bump flipped up and caught the underneath of my car."It ripped out the brake pipe, a handbrake cable and the sump."There was also a hole in one of my car's bumpers. I had my children in the car with me when this happened."The garage repair bill came to almost �700.Ms Freeman believes Councillor Boote was referring to the incident involving her car, when he said a nail from one of the humps had caused an accident."I was fuming when I saw last week's paper," she said. "I was angry that the humps were described as illegal."I pursued Devon County Council for compensation in 2007 and got nowhere. "Workmen were out very quickly to repair the hump after I complained."On one document I've got, the council says it repaired the hump on October 2 - the day after my accident."But, on another, the council claims the work was carried out before my accident."Ms Freeman says she was a single mother at the time of the accident. Her mother had paid the garage bill.A spokesperson for Devon County Council said: "The speed humps were not illegal, they were removed on road safety grounds as they had come to the end of their natural life. "The work that is being done now has nothing whatsoever to do with Miss Freeman's claim. "When replaced, the cushions will be placed in such a form that traffic cannot drive between them, as suggested. The cushions are designed in such a way that emergency service vehicles can straddle them.