Get ready for a pothole pandemic

A collaborative post

With the wintery weather ahead of us here in the UK, unfortunately it’s time for the chaos on the roads to unfold. It happens every year; with the snow comes the potholes to our nations roads. The roads just cannot cope with the sheer amount of traffic and poor road surface conditions. LeaseCar UK have investigated to find out which UK councils have had the most (and the least) compensation claims because of the damage to cars resulting from hitting potholes.

What are potholes?

Potholes arise when groundwater on the road surface seeps underneath and forms a pool of water. Over time, the road surface becomes worn and with the cold weather, the pool of water freezes and expands breaking the road surface above. Whilst most car drivers attempt to avoid the potholes, unfortunately they’re often seen too late. This results in vehicles suffering damage often costing hundreds to fix, and in worst incidents, personal injuries to drivers.

I have swerved many a pothole and unfortunately for me, I once damaged the rim of my tyre on a huge pothole coming off the M6 in Staffordshire. Thankfully, the damage was repairable and I didn’t feel I should claim but they are so inconvenient. There’s also a few potholes around the West Midlands that are notorious for damaging cars. Many drivers have learnt to drive around them now but it’s only a matter of time before they cause some serious damage.

Which location is the pothole capital of the UK?

According to the survey by Lease Car UK, Surrey County Council were ranked with the highest number of compensation claims in their borough with a whopping 3,533 claims. They were followed by Hampshire borough who had 2,665 compensation claims, Hertfordshire borough with 2,190 claims and Kent borough with 2,048 claims.

Surrey County Council paid out an eye watering £323,222 in compensation between 1st January 2018 – 17th October 2019. This is roughly £91 per claim which is probably the cost of a single tyre replacement.

Which location had the least claims?

Surprisingly, both Sutton Borough and Islington Borough Councils revealed they didn’t have any compensation claims for potholes at all. Therefore, in my opinion, they must have the best kept roads in the UK. Although it’s interesting to see that my local councils haven’t made the list at all. I’d be very interested to see the data for Sandwell Council, Walsall Council and for Staffordshire County Council.

Are you surprised by the results? If you’re from Surrey, does it surprise you that Surrey topped the pothole pandemic chart? As the wintery weather draws in, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all cussing at the roads and their potholes once more. Take care out there!