Just a quarter of pothole claims settled in 2024
Only a quarter of pothole claims submitted to councils in 2024 were settled, according to the RAC.
It submitted a Freedom of Information request to 207 councils across England, Scotland and Wales and based on data from 177 responses it found that compensation was paid out in just 13,832 of the 53,015 pothole claims submitted.
That is only 26%, with the average compensation paid out estimated to be £390 compared to the average repair bill of £590
RAC research also revealed a 91% rise in the number of pothole claims submitted across the last three years,
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Drivers are still suffering the consequences of years of neglect to Britain’s local road network. But even if you submit a compensation claim the odds aren’t good, with around 40,000 requests for reimbursement turned down in 2024 alone.
“There’s every chance that we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the claims that have been settled. But positively, councils received slightly fewer pothole compensation claims in 2024 than they did they year before.”
