City urged to declare 'pothole emergency'

Mounting bills for damage to cars and other vehicles has led to calls for a "pothole emergency" to be declared.

Almost £40,000 was paid out in insurance claims linked to pothole damage to vehicles in the Sunderland City Council area in the last financial year, leading opposition councillors to claim motorists were "sick of the state of our roads".

Bosses at the Reform-led council said staff had carried out more repairs so far in 2026 than in the entirety of 2025, with 12,805 potholes fixed between 1 January and last week.

However Lib Dem councillor Michael Peacock claimed repairs were often "poor quality patch and fix work".

The representative for Doxford Park said: "I've spoken to residents facing repair bills running into hundreds of pounds because of pothole damage.

"That's an unfair price to pay just to get to work, or to visit friends and family."

Claims data published on Sunderland City Council's website showed 183 out of 300 insurance claims were paid out in the 2025-26 financial year, to a total of £39,822.87.

It is the highest number paid since 2018-19 and a huge increase on 2024-25 when only two claims linked to potholes were paid out, totalling £1,071.88.

Bill Blackett, cabinet member for environment, transport and enforcement, said increased reports of potholes were linked to severe wet weather earlier this year.

He said: "As a result extra resources have been diverted to resolving this, including a further £1m for highways and pothole repairs as part of this year's budget.

"Pothole damage can be caused by a combination of factors, including weather and an ageing asset, and we have a comprehensive highways inspection regime and appropriate and timely responses for repairs."

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