Pothole claims surge as councils count the cost
Pothole claims submitted to 18 local authorities soared from 8,327 in 2022 to 20,432 last year, according to analysis carried out by the RAC.
It submitted a Freedom of Information request to 21 councils, with 18 responding.
Of those, Surrey County Council reported the biggest increase in claims from 2022 to 2023, from 734 to 3,418, with claims in Hampshire rising from 750 to 2,654 and from 257 to 829 in Gloucestershire.
Despite this, the data revealed that councils paid out on an average of just 15% of claims in 2023, with average compensation estimated to be £260 compared to the £460 average repair costs. Gloucestershire County Council refused 98% of submitted claims, Essex County Council refused 95%, with Kent and Cornwall rejecting 92% and Powys County Council refusing 90%.
Pothole claims payouts
The RAC also asked councils how much money they had spent defending pothole claims. Only 13 responded, but between them they paid more than £166,000 in legal fees.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said:
“These findings are a stark reminder that the ongoing poor condition of many of the UK’s local roads is burning holes in the budgets of both local authorities and drivers. While some councils appeared to prioritise paying legal fees over settling pothole claims, the cost in time and money of defending claims appears to far outweigh the expense of reimbursing drivers for the damage done to their vehicle in the first place.
“When it comes to the true extent of the problem, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg as almost the same number of councils refused to tell us why they threw out pothole claims compared to those that did.”
