Few compensation claims for pothole damage to vehicles are successful – report

Fewer than one in five claims for compensation for damage to vehicles caused by potholes are successful, new research suggests.

Motoring services firm Halfords said potholes were now a “huge issue” across the UK, with its research among 2,000 drivers showing that more than one in four has had their vehicle damaged.

The company said even if the Government met its pledge to fill in a million potholes a year, it would only “plaster over the cracks”.

Karen Bellairs, Halfords’ managing director of garages, said: “The UK’s roads are in a shocking state and drivers are hitting potholes more and more frequently.”

Halfords said its research among dozens of councils suggested that 18% of claims for compensation from motorists whose vehicles were damaged by driving over potholes were successful.

Halfords has launched a pothole damage check which it said was aimed at helping drivers make claims for pothole-related damage.