Potholes cost Britain millions of pounds each year - with compensation claims on the rise this year following the Beast from the East.
A number of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have revealed a snapshot of the cost of potholes around the country; a Cycling UK FOI shows local authorities spent at least £43.3 million in compensation claims and legal costs over the last five years.
While recent claims data from Highways England following an FOI request, reveals successful claims after incidents on England's motorways and major A roads more than doubled in the last financial year.
Some 528 claims were upheld between April 2017 and April 2018, compared to 212 in 2016/17, and 187 in 2015/16. The Beast from the East has been blamed for the rise in pothole compensation claims.
Other key findings in Cycling UK's data reveal:
Earlier this year, the AA estimated there had already been over 4,200 claims for pothole damage across the country, with an average repair bill of around £1,000.
In 2016, the Government created a permanent pothole fund to repair roads with £250 million over five years. This is on top of almost £5billion committed to general roads maintenance.
Last month (October 2018), Chancellor Philip Hammond announced local councils in England are to get an extra £420m to tackle the growing number of potholes, as well as £25.5bn for Highways England for major road upgrades between 2020 and 2025 - largely funded by vehicle excise duty.
As we’ve already mentioned, there is no guarantee that you will be able to claim any money back if you car is damaged on a British road, but we think it’s worth a try.
Here’s our step-by-step guide on claiming compensation for pothole damage:
If you do decide to claim through your car insurance, you won't be alone - Admiral deals with hundreds of pothole-related claims every month. And just like the rise in compensation claims to local councils in the past year, our claims team has also seen a rise.
So far, in 2018, we've received 480 claims - the highest number we've had in the past seven years, and up from 293 in 2017. It's the second highest number pf pothole-related claims we've had in the past decade, beaten only by 513 claims in 2010.
From November to Boxing Day 2010, two spells of severe winter weather hit the UK - breaking records for most snowfall seen since the '60s. Temperatures struggled to rise above freezing during the days with northern Scotland registering a bitingly cold -20 degrees.
As as well as causing havoc at airports - Heathrow and Gatwick both closed that winter - it's also safe to say the weather would've caused trouble on UK roads - particularly when it comes to potholes.