Scottish councils pay out £1.3m pothole compensation since 2022
Scottish councils have seen a staggering rise in the number of pothole damage compensation claims lodged against them in the last three years.
Local authorities have had more than 16,700 claims lodged against them for damage caused by potholes since 2022, with 29 out of the 32 which responded to a Freedom of Information request paying out a total of £1,360,754 in compensation.
An investigation by Accident Claims Advice revealed claims against Scottish councils have risen by 67 per cent since 2022. It comes as the number of roads being left unrepaired by UK councils has now hit record levels.
Up to 82 per cent of the miles of local roads flagged as in need of maintenance were ignored by councils last year – the highest proportion since records began in 2009, according to Department for Transport (DfT) data.
The 29 councils who responded reported a total of 19,993 potholes in need of repair at the start of 2025.
The number of claims lodged for pothole damage has also risen dramatically, from 3,922 in 2022 to 6,536 last year. Of those, just 23 per cent of claims were settled.
In West Lothian, 38 claims were made between 2022 and 2024, with 11 settled to the tune of £2836; in Falkirk, there were 161 claims and 24 settled at a cost of £3125 and in Edinburgh there were 72 claims, 10 settled for £8969.
Beverly Faulkner, ACA’s public liability specialist, said: “The damage caused by potholes can be catastrophic leading to serious injury and/or vehicle damage. It is vital roads are maintained and councils held responsible.”
The data and research was gathered by Accident Claims Advice via FOI requests to every UK council. Visit www.accidentclaimsadvice.org.uk/pothole-injury-claims/ for more details.