Fury as pothole damage hits one in four Brit drivers but less than a fifth get any compensation

ONE in four drivers say their vehicle has been damaged by a pothole in the past year — but less than a fifth of compensation claims are successful.

A survey found 27 per cent of motorists have suffered an average of £718 damage — £7.5billion per year nationwide.

If a vehicle is damaged by a poorly maintained road they are entitled to claim compensation from those responsible — usually the local authority.

But a Freedom of Information request by Halfords shows just 18 per cent of claims to councils resulted in a payout.

The motoring firm has launched a free Pothole Damage Check to help drivers claim compensation.

It is also calling on the Government to spend more on fixing potholes.

Halfords’ Karen Bellairs said: “Roads are in a shocking state and drivers are hitting potholes more and more frequently.”

Earlier in the month, The Sun reported on how drivers were left stranded on the side of the M25 after a "hidden" pothole caused more than a dozen breakdowns during rush hour.

The "massive" hole was apparently all but invisible to the motorists, as pictures showed around 20 cars lined up on the hard shoulder.

The M25 is one of Britain's busiest roads and is used by around 200,000 vehicles a day.

But a section of the route was clogged up with reports of five-mile queues after drivers came across a nasty surprise on the road surface.

Lorry driver Blaine Conway, 39, said he heard a "big bang" as he hit the crater, forcing him to pull over.

He told The Sun: "I was leaving work around half five, and I was on the M25 southbound between junction 13 and 12.

"It was very dark and it was raining.

"All of a sudden I heard a big bang and I knew something was wrong.

"I parked up on the hard shoulder where I saw two or three other cars.

"At one point there were 27 cars parked on the side of the road."

Blaine thought to himself "that's going to cost me money."