These findings are a stark reminder that the ongoing poor condition of many of the UK's local roads is burning holes in the budgets of both local authorities and drivers. While some councils appeared to prioritise paying legal fees over settling pothole claims, the cost in time and money of defending claims appears to far outweigh the expense of reimbursing drivers for the damage done to their vehicle in the first place.
It's vital that this money is used by councils not to merely fill potholes, but to carry out preventative maintenance - through surface dressing roads at regular intervals to stop roads falling apart in the first place. Roads that are beyond reasonable repair should be resurfaced.
Instead of paying for costly compensation claims, councils much prefer to use their budgets to keep our roads in a good condition, in turn reducing the risk of damage to vehicles and personal injuries. However, this has become increasingly challenging, with an estimated and growing £16.3 billion backlog of repairs to bring all local roads across the country up to standard.
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