Pothole numbers up as weather takes its toll - council

East Sussex County Council repaired 77.7% of potholes on time

Councils in Sussex repaired just under 75,000 potholes in the last financial year, as the number reported to them increased by 16%.

They also paid out £74,000 of compensation, part of £535,000 paid out by councils in the south east.

West Sussex County Council said it repaired 41,995 in the last full financial year.

It said there were more potholes now due to the "extreme weather" causing "rapid deterioration" of the roads.

This financial year, it has already repaired 35,664 - with two months still to go.

Surrey County Council paid out £452,000 in pothole compensation - an increase of £164,000 on the previous year.

Kent County Council paid out £9,000 in compensation.

More on potholes:

Potholes: What are they and why are they dangerous?

Pothole reports hit a five-year high in 2023

'Avoid puddles': AA gives advice to dodge potholes

Speaking to BBC South East Today, the Roads Minister Guy Opperman said: "Potholes are an important issue for voters up and down the country and that's why we have pledged a £8.3bn to help fix the potholes.

"Councils are getting more and more money to address this issue - they have never been given this much money on this issue."

West and East Sussex councils fixed 16% more potholes this financial year

East Sussex County Council repaired 32,966 potholes, after receiving reports of 29,401 of potholes last year.

In the 2021/22 financial year, East Sussex County Council repaired 25,518 potholes, while West Sussex fixed 39,122.

It added that 77.7% of potholes were fixed on time.

With the AA attending more than 600,000 pothole-related call-outs last year, the state of our roads is a major problem for drivers.

We have put your questions to two motoring experts about what rights drivers have to claim for damage to their vehicles.

How hard is it to make a claim?

It helps with a pothole claim if the hole has been reported before

Gary Rycroft, a solicitor who has appeared on the BBC's Rip Off Britain, said pothole claims were not complicated and most people could deal with the problem themselves.

"If you engage a solicitor you are ultimately going to get less in your pocket because a solicitor is going to take some of the compensation for themselves in payment for legal services and they might want an upfront payment to take on the case," he said.

"You have to weigh up whether you think you have the time, energy and wherewithal to do it yourself or whether you want to outsource it to a professional."

When are you entitled to make a claim?

Gary Rycroft said motorists should not give up when it comes to claiming compensation

Mr Rycroft said there were three factors to look at with making a claim.

"The first factor is whether or not the pothole is of sufficient size - that usually means a depth of about 40 millimetres which is the height of two 20p coins," he said.

"Secondly, you have to prove there is damage to the vehicle.

"Thirdly, you have to prove the body responsible have been negligent in carrying out their duty to road users to keep the road in good repair."

What should you do if your vehicle was damaged?

The AA said it dealt with 600,000 pothole-related callouts last year

Edmund King, who is the president of the AA, encouraged motorists to report potholes via the government's website.

"You are more likely to get compensation if the pothole has been previously reported," he said.

"But there is a rule that kind of says that the local highway authority can't be responsible for all of their roads all of the time if they have not been made aware of the problems.

"That is where a lot of claims fall down."

Mr Rycroft added: "Any legal claim is all about the evidence so if you are saying that the pothole is large enough to warrant a claim - you need to prove that - so take photographs to show the scale.

"You need to prove that there was damage to the vehicle and you need to show the cost of repairs. Get a report from a mechanic.

"Most importantly you have to show that there is negligence on behalf of the authority maintaining the roads."

What happens if your claim is rejected?

"The key thing is to have really good evidence and the second thing is not to give up," said Mr Rycroft.

"They might actually just reject all claims on the first round and you have to go back and be really belligerent and say I have got really good evidence and I really want you to pay."

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