Potholes blight UK roads with a record 630,000 incidents of damage to vehicles reported over the past year.
The AA said it dealt with 631,852 incidents last year where tyres, wheels, steering, and suspension were damaged after collisions with potholes.
As drivers face an average £250 to fix the repairs to their cars and vehicles, road users may want to read up on the process for claiming compensation related to pothole damage.
If a local authority was negligent and failed to check a road where your car was damaged by a pothole, you could claim compensation for your repairs, while also helping keep the road in a good condition.
One driver told MoneySavingExpert how they managed to claim for £735 worth of damage after their alloys and tyre were damaged.
A pothole will usually need to be at least 40mm deep to count as a pothole – this is the height of about two 20p coins. A driver can still make a claim if they hit a smaller hole, but it may be more challenging.
Drivers may be able to claim for damage caused by another fault with the road, such as hitting loose pavement, but this will depend on the authority responsible.
You will need to prove it was the pothole that caused the damage. A mechanic may be able to write you a note to help with this.
You should note exactly where the pothole is, what happened and find out if anyone saw it happen. It’s also important to get an itemised bill for the repairs with details of the damage that was repaired – to make sure you are claiming for the correct repairs.
Drivers are encouraged to report a pothole as soon as they come across one to the relevant authority. Which authority is responsible depends on the road.
When speaking to the relevant authority, you should ask if a claim form can be sent to you or if you can download the document online.
In England Scotland and Wales, local councils are responsible for maintaining local roads, B roads and smaller A roads.
Highways England looks after motorways and trunk roads/major A roads in England while Traffic Scotland is responsible for motorways and A roads in Scotland.
Transport for London is responsible for roads listed as ‘red routes’ within the London area. In Northern Ireland, DfI Roads maintains roads of all types.
For the latest personal finance news, follow us on Twitter at @ExpressMoney_.
