Suffolk pothole damage claims tripled in 2023, data reveals

Data gathered by the RAC via Freedom of Information request has shown 179 claims were made to Suffolk County Council in 2022 - 7% of which were successful. 

However in 2023 some 561 claims were made - more than triple that of the year before and an increase of 213%. 

Of these, 11% were successful and the average pay out was £350.

Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Ipswich, operational highways and flooding, said the county council has "taken proactive steps" and developed a "targeted campaign to tackle potholes" ahead of the coming winter months. 

'Pothole Avenue' signs on Trinity Avenue earlier this year, before it had been fixed (Image: Karl Brown) This follows a lengthy campaign earlier this year calling for the resurfacing of Trinity Avenue in Mildenhall, which had been dubbed 'Pothole Avenue' and the 'worst road in west Suffolk'.

It has now been fixed but councillor Andy Neal, who represents Mildenhall Queensway on West Suffolk Council and has been vocal about the impact of potholes, said at the time that he felt residents had been "neglected".

Responding to the new data, Mr Neal said: "Suffolk County Council data on pothole repairs highlights its very poor performance on a consistent basis.

"As we enter the winter pothole season I expect Mildenhall, like so many other towns across the county, will be blighted with roads breaking up and craters appearing almost overnight."

Councillor Andy Neal, who represents Mildenhall Queensway on West Suffolk Council (Image: WSC) He said he feels the "massive rise" in claims is due to the "increased number of potholes that present themselves year on year" and added that he expects the trend to continue to rise for 2024.

Mr Neal added: "The staffing level for road repairs is too small, the budget allocated to pothole repair is too small and potholes are allowed to get too big before they are repaired.

"That’s the reason so many vehicles have received serious damage and the amount of claims against the council increased."

Mr West said: "The county council fully recognises the impact cold and wet weather has on our roads in Suffolk, which is why we have taken proactive steps and developed a targeted campaign to tackle potholes ahead of winter.

“Suffolk Highways recently launched the pothole prevention programme aimed at reducing the number of potholes on the county's road network during the winter months.

Councillor Paul West, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for Ipswich, operational highways and flooding (Image: SCC) "This initiative is in addition to our highway teams working to address highway issues daily.

"Since October 2023, more than 22,000 potholes have been repaired, demonstrating our commitment to improving highway infrastructure in Suffolk.

"We also invested an extra £10million into the biggest road resurfacing programme to date, this programme is progressing well and will help stop potholes from forming in the first place."