The pothole-ridden roads resulting in the biggest payouts
MOTORISTS have received more than £90,000 in insurance payouts in the last three years because of dangerous potholes on Kirklees’ roads.
Of the 755 claims made against Kirklees Council since January 2016, only 52 have resulted in a win for the claimant so far, each one paying out an average of £1,772.
The number of successful claims paid in 2018 (15 up until December), is more than double the 2017 figure, when only seven claims were paid out for pothole-related damage.
Additionally, the total number of claims (including unsuccessful ones) more than quadrupled, from 94 to 436.
However, the total amount paid fell from £10,987 to £4,798.
That’s lower than in 2016, when the council received 225 different claims and a total of £76,358 was paid out.
The worst road for painful potholes was Milford Street – responsible for damages totalling £17,747.14.
That was followed by potholes on Manchester Road, Slaithwaite – responsible for £17,660.16 worth of damage.
Brunswick Street in Dewsbury came in third, (£9,475.31), a pothole on Cedar Drive, Chickenley, was fourth (£7,576.74) and a was fifth (£4,856.00).
Earlier this year a driver suffered whiplashtype neck and shoulder injuries after hitting a pothole and was paid more than £5,500 in compensation by Kirklees Council.
The payment was the largest sum paid out by the council in the last four years, a Freedom of Information request revealed.
To successfully claim compensation claimants need to prove that the council has neglected or breached its legal duty to maintain the highways.
District and county councils are only responsible for smaller roads, with Highways England responsible for the nation’s motorways and major A-roads.
Different councils have different insurance arrangements for pothole damage claims. While some may pay claimants directly, others may outsource to a third party or have indemnity policies against such claims.
In November, a Freedom of Information request made to Highways England revealed that the number of successful pothole claims against it more than doubled between 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The figure rose from 212 to 528, with the agency blaming the cold weather brought on by ‘The Beast from The East’.
A spokesperson for the AA said: “Pothole insurance claims peaked earlier in 2018, but have been falling for the last half of this year - so it appears councils have been getting the problem under control.”
A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “The extreme weather conditions over the past winter has caused the roads to deteriorate at a faster rate with more potholes occurring.
“Kirklees Council’s adopted road network receives scheduled inspections by trained inspectors.
“Defects are assessed and those which may pose a danger to users of the highway are scheduled for repair.
“There will be occasions when defects develop between scheduled inspections and we welcome reports of these defects and we ask that these are reported using the mapping facility on the Kirklees website https://www. kirklees.gov.uk/report/ReportPotholesStart. aspx”
The authority pointed out that the FoI covered edge erosion, slips and trips that included personal injury claims and potentially costs.
It said that the Milford Street pay-out was for personal injury not vehicular and included costs but not claim payments.