County council pays out estimated £600k in claims for potholes since 2021, RAC says

SENIOR COUNCILLOR NOW CLAIMS THAT DERBYSHIRE'S BACKLOG OF PROBLEMS HAS BEEN CLEARED

- By OSCAR FISHER

THE RAC says Derbyshire has seen the sharpest rise in pothole claims across the UK from 2021 to the end of 2024, with new data showing a 90 percent rise across the country.

The motoring company recently submitted nearly 200 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 177 local authorities, resulting in a rise in claims from 27,731 in 2021 to 53,015 in 2024.

In those three years alone, Derbyshire County Council has reported an increase from 224 claims in 2021 to 3,307 claims in 2024 - a rise of more than 1,000 percent, the highest in the county.

This was followed by Glasgow City Council, where claims had doubled from 1,140 in 2021 to 2,794 in 2024.

A spokesperson for the RAC said: "While the comparison to 2021 is concerning, the number of claims has thankfully come down slightly year-on-year.