One pothole damage claim 'for every seven miles'

Roughly one claim has been made for every seven miles (11km) of Devon's roads in the past year as drivers seek compensation for damage to their vehicles from potholes.

A total of 1,172 claims have been received by Devon County Council in just under a year from drivers, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

They include 635 cases during the winter months since the beginning of January.

Devon has the largest road network in the country – more than 8,000 miles (12,900km) – and has pledged to spend £32.4m on highways maintenance in the next financial year, £2m more than the previous year.

It also pledged additional £4m to help improve the condition of the county's roads too.

Last year, Devon County Council received 1,307 claims for damage caused by potholes, the LDRS reported.

Motorists reported 8,340 potholes in January this year – a 50% spike on the 5,250 recorded in the same month in 2025.

And data for the first 19 days of February showed a further 6,332 potholes recorded, an 85% hike on the 3,416 recorded in the same time period last year.

The council said that not every pothole qualifies as being sufficiently bad to repair, with around a third of reports turning into actionable safety defects under its highways safety policy.

Potholes must measure 30cm (12in) wide and 4cm (1.5in ) vertically to be dealt with.

There are also duplicate reports, which the council claimed accounted for about a fifth of reports, the LDRS said.

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