Paying for potholes is a triple whammy on motorists

Almost half of Britain’s motorists believe they are not getting value for the money they pay local authorities to repair potholes in the country’s roads, according to a survey by Motorpoint, the UK’s leading car supermarket group.

Latest figures show there are more than 3.5 million potholes in local roads in England and Wales and local authorities do not have sufficient budget to repair them.

Motorpoint managing director David Shelton said: “There are all sorts of issues here. The main one is that people are being injured and vehicles are being damaged because of unrepaired potholes.”

Ironically, the AA points out that a survey of county highway engineers showed local authorities in England and Wales paying out as much on claims for damage to vehicles as they are spending filling potholes. In 2007, compensation payments amounted to £53m.

A leading vehicle warranty provider published figures at the beginning of the year claiming the connection between axle, suspension and steering damage and potholed roads could be a key factor in up to a third of all mechanical failures in the UK – costing motorists more than £2.8bn a year in repairs.

“At a time when fuel prices, taxes and other motoring costs are escalating, it seems like a bad bargain for motorists to be paying out for pothole repairs that are not happening, covering the resulting compensation payments through council tax and stumping up for repairs to their own vehicles,” commented Mr Shelton.