Pothole compensation claims up 90% in just 3 years
Fri, 09 Jan 2026
Pothole compensation claims to councils have rocketed 91% in just three years.
In 2021, 27,731 pothole compensation claims were submitted to local authorities, says the RAC, which analysed the data.
By 2024, this had soared to 53,015 claims.
Worryingly, the data also reveals that a whopping 40,000 claims for compensation were turned down in 2024 alone.
A Freedom of Information request was made to 207 councils across England, Scotland and Wales. In total 177 of them responded, with Derbyshire County Council showing the sharpest rise in claims – up from just 224 in 2021 to 3307 in 2024.
Pothole compensation claims doubled in Glasgow, which was second, with Oxfordshire third.
Merton Borough Council in Greater London paid the highest average sum per claim, forking out £2267 for five claims, leading to an estimated total of £11,335.
Meanwhile, Derbyshire paid out the highest amount – based on an average of £257 for the 2355 claims it paid out, the council is thought to have spent more than £600,000 compensating drivers for pothole-related damage in 2024.
"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," says RAC head of policy Simon Williams.
"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."
The data also shows that 45% of councils refused more than nine in 10 pothole claims in 2024. Indeed, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Medway, Carmarthenshire and Telford all turned down 99% of claims they received.
"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.
"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," adds Williams.
Last year, the RAC round that 4 in 10 drivers said they’d struggle to pay an unexpected repair bill of up to £500 – "less than the cost of repairing a vehicle due to pothole damage”.
