The amount of pothole compensation claims submitted to UK local authorities more than doubled between 2022 and 2023, according to research by the RAC.
The motoring organisation said that among 18 councils that responded to a Freedom of Information request, the number of claims submitted increased from 8,327 to 20,432.
Despite the increase, just 15% of the claims were successful, with drivers receiving an average of £260 per claim, which the RAC said was around 43% less than the amount drivers could expect to pay for repairs.
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.
“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.
“We have long argued that local authorities need greater certainty of funding so they can tackle to the root cause of the UK’s pothole plague. For this reason, we’re pleased they’ll receive £500m [from the Autumn Budget] to soon start the process of improving their road networks.
“It’s vital that this money is used by councils not to merely fill potholes, but to carry out preventative maintenance – through surface dressing roads at regular intervals to stop roads falling apart in the first place. Roads that are beyond reasonable repair should be resurfaced.”
