London is becoming the pothole capital – as nearly £1m in compensation dished out

London Borough Councils have seen a staggering rise in the number of pothole damage compensation claims lodged against them in the last three years, forking out more than £960,000 in settlement payments.

Britain’s pothole crisis: London is not just the capital city…

As Britain’s ‘pothole crisis’ hits record levels, As Britain’s ‘pothole crisis’ hits record levels, an investigation by Accident Claims Advice has revealed claims against Councils in London have risen by 48% since 2022.

In the last three years, 27 London Boroughs (84%) have paid out a combined total of £963,047 in compensation for pothole damage claims.

The findings come as the number of roads being left unrepaired by UK councils has now hit record levels.

Up to 82% 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 27 out of 32 London Borough Councils that responded to a Freedom of Information request within the deadline reported a total of 1,403 potholes in need of repair at the beginning of the year (January 2025).

Harrow local authority reported the highest number of unfixed craters, logging 572 in January 2025. It was followed by Greenwich which had 297 outstanding potholes and Hounslow which had 146 at the start of the year.

Ongoing legal claims

New data obtained by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) has found that London Councils have had 4,856 legal claims lodged against them for pothole damage in the last three years, with the figure increasing from 1,133 in 2022 to 1,673 last year.

But of those, just 26% of claims lodged were settled with compensation.

In fact, the amount of compensation paid for pothole damage cases has plummeted in recent years, despite the rise in claims.

In 2022, London Boroughs paid out a total of £405,036 settling 291 pothole claims. The following year, 610 were settled to the tune of £360,345.

Last year, 2024, local authorities settled 374 with compensation payouts amounting to £197,666.

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.

Labour must act on potholes

The UK Treasury announced in the Budget in October that total local road maintenance funding in 2025/26 will be nearly £1.6bn, representing a £500m uplift compared with the previous 12 months.

More than £378m was specifically allocated for local authorities in the South East and London.

Labour Party prime minister Keir Starmer said in December 2024:

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.

But it remains to be seen if this will even touch the sides.

Accident Claims Advice offers help, support and advice for anyone who has suffered injuries or damages to properties caused by potholes.

They operate a 24-hour helpline and live chat service which you can access on their website.

Featured image via the Canary