Ride before a fall as potholes put cyclists and horses at risk

THE number of potholes plaguing rural roads are putting horses, their riders and cyclists at risk, an insurer has warned.

Bad weather and a lack of maintenance has left some roads in such a mess they could be closed, NFU Mutual said.

Jeremy Atkins, an NFU Mutual senior agent in Devon, told Farmers Weekly that rural roads were the “arteries of the countryside” and there would be serious implications if they became unusable.

The warning comes a month after research by Cycling UK and Cycling Weekly magazine found 49.5 per cent of cyclists had crashed because of potholes. Figures from NFU Mutual suggest a 48 per cent increase in the number of pothole claims from 2015-17, with the total value of claims almost doubling.

More motorists are thought to be seeking recompense from local authorities too, while others shoulder the cost themselves rather than claim on their car insurance.

The Government announced last month that it was giving a further £100million to councils to help repair potholes and protect roads.

This was on top of £75 million given to councils from the Pothole Action Fund, as well as an extra £46million from highways authorities.

The Local Government Association has said £1 million would be spent per mile on road networks such as motorways from 2015-20 – compared with £21,000 per mile for local roads.