Councils shelling out £3.1m a year due to potholes – here’s how you can claim
The depth of the UK's pothole problem is 25 miles deep - FOUR TIMES the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean
FED-UP motorists reported more than ONE MILLION potholes last year.
And councils across the country forked-out more than £3million to compensate drivers who had their vehicle damaged as a result of hitting one.
That's the findings from Confused.com, which has revealed the extent of the UK pothole problem - if you added up the depth of all the holes it would be 25 miles (40 kilometres) deep.
That's FOUR TIMES deeper than the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
Poorly-maintained roads have become an increasing sore-point for drivers in recent years.
Yesterday The Sun Online reported the slashing of road budgets has sparked a 35 per cent slump in repairs.
The comparison site found a third of drivers - 33 per cent - had their car damaged last year, with the most common damage caused to motorists' tyres (64 per cent), followed by supsension (42 per cent).
In all, councils spent £104million repairing potholes in 2016 at an average cost of £245 per hole.
The majority (52 per cent) think that's money well spent - but 69 per cent think councils should do more to tackle the problem.
Wiltshire paid the most out in compensation.
It paid £507,000 to drivers in 2016, followed by Surrey (£343,000), Cardiff (£288,000) and Hampshire (£152,000).
Amanda Stretton of Confused.com said: "Scrolling to depths of 40km really puts the UK’s pothole problem into perspective.
"They are a major bugbear among drivers, not least because of the damage they do to our vehicles – around £3.1 million worth of damage.
"If drivers experience a bump in the road, they should report it to their local council as soon as possible before the problem gets any worse.
"The cost of motoring alone is getting more and more expensive and damage repairs is a big contributor to this, as car parts increase in price as well."
What can you do if you're a pothole victim?
The authorities have a legal responsibility to maintain roads to a safe standard - if your vehicle's been damaged by a pothole then you'll be able to make a claim to cover the cost of repair.
According to , typical costs for repairs can range between £300 to £500.
If you can, take pictures of the damage and the pothole straight away - and make sure you know its exact location so you can prove it happened.
IN A HOLE BRITAIN'S POTHOLE PLAGUE - WE REVEAL THE WORST AREAS FOR YOUR CAR
You'll probably get the repairs carried out before you submit your claim so keep a copy of your bill.
Who you make a claim to depends on what type of road you hit the pothole on.
For motorways and major A-roads you'll need to contact Highways England (different bodies apply in Scotland and Wales).
Once you contact the authority, it will send you a form which you should fill-in outlining what happened.
You'll get a response, often within a couple of weeks, and likely a refusal to pay under Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980.
This is a defence that says all reasonable steps to maintain the road were taken, and all potholes were dealt with in a timely manner.
Once this happens, you'll need to determine if its fulfilled its obligations by asking questions about the scheduling and quality of inspections and repairs on the road.
If you believe you have a case write again outlining your findings.
Even if you don't want to make a claim, you should still report it to the correct authority so it can fill it in.
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