West Sussex County Council paid out more than £250,000 in four years on claims from drivers whose cars were damaged by potholes.
The figures were shared during a meeting of the full council following a question from Brian Quinn (Lab, Broadfield).
Between 2018/19 and 2021/22, a total of 3,657 claims were made, 504 of which were settled with payments ranging from £13.39 to £19,278.
The payouts totalled £274,824.71 and were for vehicle damage and/or personal injury claims, with the latter including legal costs.
In his question, Mr Quinn said:
“Many of the roads around the county are in a very bad state either with potholes or crumbling edges.
“I appreciate this is the result of heavy rainfall and weather conditions.”
He asked about two patching machines owned by contractor Velocity and called on Joy Dennis, cabinet member for highways & transport, to confirm that things were on track to ‘tackle the backlog of repairs’.
In her response, Mrs Dennis said the backlog had been cleared and, over the last five months, the targets for safety repairs had been exceeded.
She added:
“Balfour Beatty Living Places continue as the county council’s contractor responsible for fixing potholes.
“The Velocity patching machines are being used as a proactive programme of repairs in addition to patching and larger scale resurfacing.”
The claims received by year were: 919 in 2018/19, 1,348 in 2019/20, 820 in 2020/21, and 570 in 2021/22.
The payouts by year were: £119,932.52 in 2018/19, £83,958.37 in 2019/20, £35,466.74 in 2020/21, and £35,467.08 in 2021/22.
The council is responsible for maintaining around 2,500 miles of road.
A and B roads are usually inspected monthly, with C-class and main distributor roads on a three or six-monthly basis and declassified roads typically inspected annually.
To report a pothole, log on to www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/report-a-pothole-online
If a pothole is a significant and immediate risk to public safety, phone 01243 642105.
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