Nottinghamshire County Council paid out £56k in compensation over potholes – but most claims not successful

Nottinghamshire County Council paid out more than £56,000 in compensation for damage or injury caused by potholes in 2023.

Statistics show just 90 cases were settled out of a total 1,601 complaints received in the last year.

The authority also confirmed through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request there had been requests for compensation from people involved in life-changing or fatal accidents.

Nottinghamshire County Council. Credit: LDRS

The county council has pointed to extreme weather events in recent years affecting the condition of the roads.

Nottinghamshire resident Chris Cook Cann submitted the FOI.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The state of the roads has been deteriorating so rapidly, I think they’re so unsafe now.

“I thought it would be interesting to find out how much they were spending on compensation.

“It seems only six per cent of claims are successful and the national figure is about 25 per cent. That’s fairly alarming.”

Ms Cook Cann added: “A lot of people are deeply out of pocket.

“Some of these potholes look like serious accidents waiting to happen.

“I would encourage everybody to report potholes.

“It’s a big issue because it affects a lot of people.

“I am changing routes to go to places because I’m sure my vehicle will get damaged soon.”

A separate FOI reveals in the last two financial years, claims have increased but the amount paid out has gone down.

In 2022-23, 1,085 claims were submitted with 33 settled. A total of £19,629 was paid out by Nottinghamshire County Council.

And in 2021-23, 660 claims were submitted with 28 settled at a cost of £27,729.

In 2019-20, a total of £66,795 was paid out to 50 people, of a total 592 claims received.

Nottinghamshire County Council, which is responsible for maintaining the roads, asks residents to report potholes through its website or the My Notts App.

They said an inspector will attend within 10 working days to assess a reported site for repairs.

A county council spokesperson, said: “Recent severe weather episodes have taken a significant toll on Nottinghamshire’s roads.”

“Severe flooding causes substantial damage to our highways, which then deteriorate further when heavy rainfall is combined with sub-zero temperatures to create a ‘freeze/thaw’ effect.

“The freezing conditions in turn require us to grit our major road network for safety reasons, but repeated gritting can also weaken the asphalt on our highways.

“It is therefore inevitable that we are experiencing a rise in reports of damage to our roads and pavements at this time. We are battling as hard as we can against the effects of these weather events.

“Residents may see an increase in emergency repairs as we work to keep our highways safe throughout the winter.”

They added that in the last seven years, an extra £40 million has been invested in road maintenance in Nottinghamshire.