This is how much Welsh councils have paid out to motorists for pothole claims

Welsh councils have seen a staggering rise in the number of pothole damage compensation claims lodged against them in the last three years, forking out thousands in settlement payments.

Local authorities have paid out more than half a million pounds in compensation alone for pothole damage claims since 2022.

As Britain’s ‘pothole crisis’ hits record levels, an investigation has revealed claims against Councils in Wales have risen by 79 per cent since 2022.

In the last three years, 19 local authorities across Wales (86%) have paid out a combined total of £540,275 in compensation for pothole damage claims.

It comes as the number of roads being left unrepaired by UK councils has now hit record levels.

Up to 82 per cent of the miles of local roads flagged as in need of maintenance were ignored by councils last year – the highest proportion since records began in 2009, according to the latest Department for Transport (DfT) data.

The 19 out of 22 Welsh Councils that responded to a Freedom of Information request within the deadline reported a total of 3,939 potholes in need of repair at the beginning of the year (January 2025).

Ceredigion County Council reported the highest number of unfixed craters, standing at 544 in January. It was followed by 447 outstanding potholes reported by Pembrokeshire Council and a further 442 logged by Swansea local authority.

New data obtained by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) has found that Welsh Councils have had 3,083 legal claims lodged against them for pothole damage in the last three years, with the figure increasing from 635 in 2022 to 1,138 last year.

But of those, just 16 per cent of claims lodged were settled with compensation.

In fact, the amount of compensation paid for pothole damage cases has decreased year on year, despite the rise in claims.

In 2022, Welsh Councils paid out a total of £219,236 settling 122 pothole claims. The following year, 226 were settled to the tune of £181,335.

Last year, 2024, local authorities settled 147 claims with compensation payouts amounting to £140,022.

ACA’s Public Liability specialist, Beverly Faulkner 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 and/or costly vehicle damage. It is vital that roads are properly maintained. and councils are held responsible for the roads they maintain.”

Across Britain, pothole-plagued minor roads have fallen to their lowest level on record.

Steve Gooding, the director of the RAC Foundation, said: “The number of cars is increasing, traffic volume is increasing, the number of potholes is increasing, the only thing not increasing seems to be the amount of money being spent on maintaining our local roads, which everyone in the country relies on whether they drive or not.”

Recently, the Welsh Government announced that local authorities will soon be able to access up to £120m to repair more local roads over the next two years.

The Welsh Government’s Final Budget 2025-26 set out the new plans for the borrowing initiative which will provide an extra £10m of revenue funding to local councils to enable them to unlock an additional £120m of capital funding to accelerate the process of fixing roads and pavements.

It follows the UK’s Treasury announcement in the Budget in October last year, which promised that total local road maintenance funding in 2025/26 would be nearly £1.6bn, representing a £500m uplift compared with the previous 12 months.

Prime Minister, Kier Starmer said in December: “Broken roads can risk lives and cost families hundreds if not thousands of pounds on repairs. That’s a cost that can easily be avoided by investing properly in our roads.

“That’s why we’re giving councils funding to repair our roads and get Britain moving again – with a clear expectation that they get on with the job.”

The data and research was gathered by Accident Claims Advice via FOI requests to 22 Welsh Councils, of which 19 responded in full within the deadline, available upon request