Potholes are 'Britain's biggest bugbear', RAC finds

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Potholes causing damage to vehicles is the main concern for the majority of drivers in Britain, a motoring survey suggests.

The condition and maintenance of roads was the top issue for almost six in 10 people for the first time recorded in research by the RAC, ahead of insurance costs and fuel prices.

Punctures, wheel damage and broken suspension springs were the most common damage caused by potholes that was reported in the past 12 months, costing drivers on average £460.

However, claiming for compensation can prove time-consuming and costly.

Richard Broadbent from Cirencester put a claim in to Gloucestershire County Council after the wheel of his Volkswagen Golf was damaged in May last year when his wife was driving his daughter to school.

A bent wheel and split tyre cost the family £189.60 to repair.

The legal battle lasted more than a year before the out-of-court settlement was agreed, in which the council paid for the damage to the car and Mr Broadbent's legal costs, with no admission of fault.

After being rejected twice for compensation by the council, Mr Broadbent, a former Metropolitan Police officer, submitted a claim to the county court.

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He said he thought he should be compensated for the damage because the condition of the road was "unacceptable" and because it became clear the council had been told about the pothole but had failed to repair it.

Mr Broadbent said he was extremely surprised by how strongly the council fought his claim, given the weight of evidence he gathered.

"They continued to defend themselves on the grounds they had met their obligations in terms of the road."

He said he submitted about 150 emails to the council, his local councillor and MP, along with 13 Freedom of Information requests.

"It's been a very long process for the amount of money involved," he added.

Gloucestershire County Council said it was "very sorry for the distress caused" to the Broadbent family over the issue, but said its policy is to "defend claims robustly and fairly to protect the public purse".

"In this case, despite our strong defence new information provided questioned the original decision and our contractors made the commercial decision to settle this case," a statement added.

But Mr Broadbent is one of few drivers who bother to stay the course when trying to claim compensation over pothole damage to vehicles.

Louise Thomas, an insurance expert at price comparison website Confused.com, told the BBC the majority of drivers end up paying for repairs out of their own pocket because it is quicker and more convenient, adding that claiming on insurance could see future premiums rise.

"What they should do is go to the council. Councils are responsible for maintaining roads, therefore they’re also responsible for paying out any claims for damage to your vehicle," she said.

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Mr Broadbent said while the pothole that damaged his car had been fixed, the country's roads were "in a state of managed decline", adding he believed pothole claims would rise.

According to the RAC, almost three-quarters of drivers said the condition of local roads they use regularly is poorer than a year ago. The motoring group said its research suggested the problem of potholes was worse in rural areas.

It said its own breakdown data showed there were more than 25,000 pothole-related breakdowns in the 12 months to the end of June.

"Unfortunately our roads are deteriorating, there's no question about that. This is really unacceptable, given the amount of money that drivers pay in motoring taxation, we estimate that to be around £45bn," said Simon Williams from the RAC.

The previous Conservative administration had pledged to put an extra £8.3bn towards road maintenance in England over the coming decade.

As part of that, £150m in additional funding for last year and this year has already been given to councils.

Both the RAC and the Local Government Association (LGA) called for the new Labour government to commit to maintaining those spending plans.

Claire Holland from the LGA said council, who are responsible for local road maintenance, had "limited resources" and a backlog of repairs costing some £16.3bn.

The Department for Transport said it was supporting local authorities to fix "up to one million more potholes a year", but did not say how much money would be allocated.