Lower pothole payouts due to 'strict repair rules'

Devon is paying out fewer pothole damage claims than the rest of the UK. But the councillor in charge of highways says that shows "the system is doing its job".

Figures seen by the BBC, show Devon County Council paid out £251,916 over four years, after 1,049 successful claims. That is 19% of the 5,558 claims made, lower than the UK average of 23%. The average payout was about £240.

Dan Thomas, Liberal Democrat county councillor in charge of highways, said the lower rate was about meeting strict repair rules, not dodging payouts.

He explained many claims were rejected because councils were allowed seven days to fix potholes once they were reported.

He told BBC Radio Devon: "We run a risk based approach. So when you report a pothole... our inspector goes out, looks at it, says, yes, it's a safety defect, and then they risk assess it."

Thomas said timing was key when it came to whether drivers could claim.

"We should have fixed that pothole within seven days. The sad fact is that if you run over a pothole we should fix in seven days, on day five, you can't claim.

"If you run over it on day eight, you can claim because we should have fixed it the previous day.

"So the quicker we fix the potholes and the more holes we fix within our maintenance programme, the less chance you can actually make a claim"

He added: "When we pay a claim, it's because we haven't met that criteria."

He urged drivers to report problems, saying: "Please report potholes, that's key."

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