Claims for pothole damage to cars double as spending on road repairs hits 5-year low

COMPENSATION claims for vehicles damaged by potholes on England’s motorways and major roads have doubled in a year, amid a fall in maintenance spending.

There were 1,089 claims by drivers in 2017-18, compared with 542 in the previous 12 months, figures from government-owned Highways England show.

About £209 million was spent on maintenance in 2017-18, the lowest amount for at least five years and down 25 per cent on 2015-16 spending.

The average payout for successful compensation claims was £311 in 201718. Damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels are among the most common problems caused by potholes.

A spokesman for Highways England, which released the figures in a freedom of information request, said: “Safety is our top priority.”

She added: “We set stringent standards for pothole repairs on our roads and also regularly inspect our roads to help reduce the potential for potholes to form. Since April 2015, we have resurfaced over 3,000 miles of our network and plan to resurface over 1,000 miles this financial year.”

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “These numbers show that potholes and the damage they cause are not confined to local roads but afflict our most important and, overall, best funded routes too.

“Highways England’s roads carry a third of all traffic – and two thirds of lorries – which means not only that potholes develop rapidly under the onslaught of so many vehicles but that there are only limited opportunities to repair them given that lane closures are going to cause disruption to someone.

“We must ensure we give as much attention to looking after the roads we’ve already got as we do to funding large-scale building of new roads.”