Around 40,000 motorists tried to claim compensation from councils last year over damage caused by potholes, new research shows.
The research, conducted by The Telegraph, found that while severe weather had increased the number of claims in 2012, councils had managed to educe the amount they actually paid out. The figures show that the average driver was only awarded a sixth of the amount when compared to payouts in 2012.
The research, which was published as David Cameron pledged £140m to tackle the backlog of road repairs, found that drivers made 39,249 compensation claims to councils last year, compared to 25,977 in 2012.
Around a fifth of drivers were successful in gaining compensation, with the average payout being £375 each. In 2012, this figure was £1,565.