Pothole vehicle damage claims up by a third

Potholes can cause significant damage to tyres, suspension and steering systems

The number of compensation claims from motorists in Lincolnshire whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes has jumped by a third in the past year, data suggests.

A Freedom of Information request to Lincolnshire County Council by the Local Democracy Reporting Service found an average of £175 was spent on successful claims in 2023.

The overall amount paid in compensation for pothole-related incidents by the authority increased by 36%.

In response, the council said requests can roll over across multiple years and may not always relate to recent cases.

In 2023, Lincolnshire County Council paid out £666,319 in compensation for pothole incidents, compared to 2022’s total of £489,867.

The number of requests for compensation - 1,780 - was 33% higher than in 2022, however the number of successful claims reduced by 32%.

Potholes can cause significant damage to tyres, suspension and steering systems.

Karen Cassar, the authority's assistant director for highways, said: “What these totals include are a culmination of many claims that have been in process for, in some cases, a number of years.

“Through the correct legal protocols some of the claims can carry on over an extended period."

Lincolnshire County Council has pledged to fix about 110,500 potholes in the county, but estimated it would need £40m from the government to fix the scale of the problem.

The Department for Transport previously said it had pledged to provide £8.3bn in extra funding over 11 years for road improvements in England.

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