Pothole claims up 90% in three years, says RAC

Pothole compensation claims made to councils in Britain rose by 90% between 2021 and 2024, in line with evaluation by the RAC motoring group.The research additionally discovered that solely 1 / 4 of claims made by motorists in 2024 resulted in payouts.Nevertheless, the RAC famous that the variety of claims fell in 2024 in contrast with the 12 months earlier than.The Native Authorities Affiliation (LGA) stated “ever-increasing strain” on budgets was affecting councils’ skills to repair roads, whereas the Division for Transport stated the federal government was spending £7.3bn over the subsequent 4 years on enhancing street surfaces.Potholes have turn out to be a serious bugbear for a lot of drivers. Restore payments might be expensive, they usually may trigger accidents to passengers, cyclists or pedestrians.The RAC stated information it had analysed indicated that 53,015 compensation claims claims had been made to 177 native authorities in 2024.That was up from 27,731 in 2021, though it marked a fall from the 56,655 seen in 2023.In 2024, simply 26% of claims led to a payout, with a median sum of £390 given to claimants.The RAC estimates {that a} typical restore invoice for a household automobile with harm worse than a puncture from a pothole is £590.Potholes may cause harm to shock absorbers and suspension springs, and may distort wheels.RAC head of coverage Simon Williams advised the BBC: “It does appear that councils have a wide range of totally different standards for what they class as a pothole.”Typically they should be 4 centimetres deep and so many centimetres broad.”For those who hit one, it may possibly trigger an actual jolt to the automobile and critical harm… not simply harm to automobiles, it is also a critical street security hazard, significantly on two wheels.”RAC requested 207 councils about pothole compensation claims. Of the 177 that responded, Derbyshire County Council noticed the most important improve in claims over the three-year interval, from 224 to three,307.Nevertheless, Derbyshire councillor Charlotte Hill, the council’s cupboard member for potholes, highways and transport, stated claims had fallen by 72% since Might 2025.”Going ahead, Derbyshire highways can turn out to be extra proactive fairly than reactive, and work to make repairs earlier than they turn out to be a problem for residents,” she advised the BBC.Glasgow Metropolis Council and Oxfordshire County Council noticed the subsequent largest will increase between 2021 and 2024.In a press release, Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s cupboard member for transport administration, stated the emphasis “needs to be on upkeep work to stop potholes forming within the first place, which is way more cost-effective than repairing them afterwards”.”That’s the reason we’ve got invested almost £14.5m since 2024 on the biggest floor dressing programmes we’ve got carried out for at the very least 20 years.”Floor dressing is a preservation remedy geared toward avoiding potholes forming.The BBC has contacted Glasgow Metropolis Council for remark.A Division for Transport spokesperson stated the federal government was investing £7.3bn over the subsequent 4 years to assist councils resurface roads.”This can flip the tide on years of underinvestment in our street community, permitting native authorities to maneuver away from costly, short-term repairs and put money into proactive upkeep and stop potholes from forming within the first place,” they stated.A Native Authorities Affiliation spokesperson stated that “ever-increasing strain on budgets has impacted their potential to take action as a lot as they’d like” concerning street upkeep.”New funding for roads will assist flip the tide on the gradual decline of native roads, however this may take time to shift from merely filling potholes reactively – which pothole compensation legal guidelines require – in the direction of a extra proactive, sustainable method.”.