Pothole compensation claims jump 91% in three years as councils reject vast majority
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 hours ago
Pothole compensation claims made to UK local authorities have surged by 91% in just three years, according to new analysis by the RAC, highlighting growing pressure on councils and motorists alike as road conditions deteriorate.
Data obtained through a Freedom of Information request to 207 councils across England, Scotland and Wales shows that 177 authorities recorded a combined 53,015 claims in 2024, up from 27,731 in 2021. The councils that responded are responsible for 246,510 miles of local roads, covering the majority of the UK’s maintained highway network.
Derbyshire County Council recorded the steepest rise in claims, increasing from 224 in 2021 to 3,307 in 2024. Glasgow City Council followed, with claims more than doubling from 1,140 to 2,794, while Oxfordshire County Council saw claims rise from 488 to 1,941 over the same period. The figures point to worsening surface conditions across both urban and rural networks.
Despite the longer-term rise, the total number of claims has fallen slightly year on year. Councils reported 56,655 claims in 2023, meaning requests dropped by six per cent in 2024. The RAC said the modest decline offered little comfort given the scale of increase since 2021.
Drivers submitted more than 53,000 pothole damage claims in 2024, with councils paying out just a quarter despite rising repair costs
Only a quarter of claims submitted last year resulted in compensation. Of the 53,015 claims lodged in 2024, councils settled 13,832, equivalent to 26%. The RAC estimates local authorities paid out around £3.56 million in total, at an average of £390 per successful claim. That figure remains well below the £590 average repair cost faced by family car drivers when pothole damage extends beyond a puncture.
Large variations were seen in payout levels. Merton Borough Council recorded the highest average payment per claim at £2,267, though it settled just five claims. Derbyshire is estimated to have paid the highest total sum, spending around £605,235 after settling 2,355 claims at an average of £257 each. In Scotland, Glasgow paid an average of £253 per settled claim, while in Wales Wrexham averaged £2,026 across 38 successful claims.
The data also shows how difficult it remains for drivers to secure compensation. Of the 172 councils that disclosed refusal figures, 45% rejected more than 90% of claims in 2024. Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Medway, Carmarthenshire and Telford each turned down 99% of claims submitted. Bridgend was the only authority to settle every claim it received, though this amounted to just 52 cases.
When measured against road length, Glasgow recorded more than two claims for every mile of its 1,203-mile network. Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Edinburgh and Bury Metropolitan Borough each received roughly one claim per mile of road. Surrey, which led this metric in 2023, recorded one claim for every two miles of its network in 2024.
The RAC said the figures underline the financial risk faced by drivers at a time when almost four in 10 motorists report they would struggle to meet an unexpected £500 repair bill, a sum still below the typical cost of repairing pothole-related damage.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “The massive three-year rise in pothole compensation claims made by drivers shows what a huge task it is returning the roads to a respectable standard. But it’s far from an even picture across the country, with just a handful of councils receiving the lion’s share of claims from beleaguered motorists.
“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.
“And with some councils not responding to our request for data, 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.
“We’re now hopeful the dial will really begin to shift as highways authorities in England were this year given a record £1.6bn by the Government for road maintenance. And for the first time they’ve been required to show how much vital preventative maintenance they’ll be carrying out to stop potholes forming in the first place.
“On top of this, the Government has now announced multi-year settlements which will give councils the certainty they need to plan and deliver better maintenance programmes. This can only be a good thing.
“So, while the figures we’ve analysed are a cause for concern, we hope pothole compensation claims will begin to decline as local authorities increase the amount of preventative surface dressing work on their roads.”
