Tories accused of overseeing ‘pothole pandemic’ on England’s roads

Sixty-three claims for pothole-related damage were made by motorists every day last year, the Liberal Democrats have said.

The party has called for road maintenance budgets to be fully restored by the government, accusing the Conservatives of overseeing a “pothole pandemic” on English roads.

Data from 85 local authorities in England, obtained by freedom of information requests, shows that compensation paid to motorists reached £1.77 million in 2022/23 – a slight rise on the previous year.

The Lib Dems said that the number of pothole claims has grown significantly in the last year, with 23,042 in 2022/23 compared with the 13,579 recorded the previous year.