Council forks out over £55,000 in compensation for pothole damage in last three years
BRADFORD Council paid out more than £55,000 in compensation to drivers for pothole damage over a three-year period, new figures show.
According to data obtained by personal injury specialists Accident Claims Advice under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, the authority forked out a total of £55,932.25 in pothole compensation claims in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Common problems caused by potholes include damaged shock absorbers, broken suspension springs and distorted wheels.
The statistics in the FOI also reveal that the Council spent a total of £639,613.04 in carrying out pothole repairs over those three years.
Beverly Faulkner, Accident Claims Advice's public liability specialist, said: "Councils and local authorities have a duty of care to ensure the safety of people using public spaces, such as parks, highways and footpaths.
"A crucial part of this is making sure the land under their control is properly maintained.
"Failing to do this can put people at risk. "The damage caused by potholes can be catastrophic - leading to serious injury as well as costly vehicle damage.
"It is vital that roads are properly maintained."
The Telegraph & Argus asked Bradford Council for a response to the figures - but no comment was received by the time of publication.
The head of a House of Commons committee recently branded road conditions across England a "national embarrassment".
Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), warned that road users were being put at risk from "highways riddled with potholes".
A damning report by the committee found the Department for Transport had "not taken responsibility" for its role in how roads have deteriorated.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at a staggering £16.3 billion.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "For far too long our roads have been left to crumble - and this PAC report has laid bare the result of the decades of decline we have inherited in our road infrastructure.
"That's why we're investing a record £1.6bn for the coming year to help local authorities fix up to seven million more potholes.
"Road users are rightly frustrated by patchwork repairs, so we are also committed to multi-year funding settlements to enable Councils to better maintain their road networks and avoid potholes forming in the first place."
People can report potholes via Bradford Council's website.
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