Town makes €1.65 million settlement to resident over state of roads

A man who spent five years filing legal complaints about the state of his local roads has accepted a €1.65 million settlement to drop his actions.

Marc Van Damme first sued Aarschot town council for poorly maintained roads in 2014.

Since then, he was won five court cases - and each time the municipality has been ordered to make the necessary road repairs or face a daily fine.

The town has made the out-of-court settlement, which Van Damme has accepted, because it could have had to pay up to €4.7 million if the proceedings had continued.

The council's lawyer, Marc Boes, said the payment was "a gesture intended to put an end to his claims". He said Aarschot had committed to a programme of road improvements between now and the summer.