Surrey County Council spent more than £50 million on pothole repairs over the past three years, as compensation claims for damage caused by road craters have more than doubled in the same period.

An investigation by Accident Claims Advice (ACA) has revealed that claims against the council have risen by 106 percent since 2021, reflecting the worsening state of Britain’s roads amid a nationwide pothole crisis.

In addition to repair costs, the council has paid out a further £230,000 in compensation, with figures obtained by the ACA through Freedom of Information requests showing 5,666 claims were lodged over the past three years.

The number of claims jumped from 735 in 2022 to 1,513 in 2023. In 2024, the council settled a record 489 claims, paying out more than £188,000 in compensation.

This figures were revealed as national data showed 82 percent of local roads were flagged for maintenance in 2023 going unaddressed, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).

ACA public liability specialist Beverly Faulkner said: “Councils and local authorities have a duty of care to ensure the safety of people using public spaces, such as parks, highways and footpaths.

“A crucial part of this is making sure the land under their control is properly maintained. Failing to do this can put people at risk.

“The damage caused by potholes can be catastrophic leading to serious injury and/or costly vehicle damage. It is vital that roads are properly maintained. and councils are held responsible for the roads they maintain.”

Surrey County Council’s spending on pothole repairs has risen annually, from £15 million in 2021/22 to £21 million in 2023/24.

In an effort to address the crisis, the UK Treasury announced in October that total local road maintenance funding for 2025/26 will reach nearly £1.6 billion—a £500 million increase compared to the previous year. More than £378 million has been allocated specifically for local authorities in the South East and London.

Recently, Lib-Dem campaigner Theresa Meredith-Hardy organised a count of all the potholes in Farnham.

She said: “The problem isn't just funding, it's poor highways maintenance and contract management by Conservative-led Surrey County Council. Potholes aren't being repaired properly, leading to repeat damage.

“A common-sense approach is needed, like fixing multiple potholes on one road in a single visit and ensuring repairs are high quality to last longer and save costs in the longterm.”

Khalil Yousuf, the former Lib-Dem Prospective MP for Farnham & Bordon., said: “The Conservatives have overseen years of neglect in our transport network - cutting vital maintenance budgets, delaying essential repairs, and allowing our roads to deteriorate to dangerous levels.

“In Hampshire, only a third of potholes are being repaired. Last year, I worked alongside local councillors to fix a road so riddled with potholes that it posed a serious hazard to cyclists and children crossing to a nearby green space.

“The crisis is just as severe in Surrey, where the RAC reports that in 2024, pothole damage claims have averaged one per mile. In one shocking case, a cyclist was so badly injured by a pothole that Surrey County Council had to pay £100,000 in compensation—the largest of 113 claims that year.”

He said the Liberal Democrats had a plan to fix Britain’s roads by investing properly in road infrastructure. The funding would be taken from the road-building budget and handed directly to local councils on on a needs basis.

“Our policy is simple: put power in the hands of local communities, provide them with the resources to fix their roads, and ensure that every road user—motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike—can travel safely. The Liberal Democrats will deliver the change our country desperately needs,” he added.

Cllr Matt Furniss, Surrey County Countil cabinet member for for highways, transport and economic growth said the county had “some of the country’s busiest roads” which “naturally takes its toll”.

He said the authority was “working incredibly hard to improve” the roads, “with nearly £300 million allocated to repairing and improving Surrey’s roads and pavements over the next five years”.

“We’re resurfacing more roads and pavements than ever with 100 miles of roads and 30 miles of pavements resurfaced by our highways teams from April to December 2024 alone,” he added.

“This investment is making our highway network more resilient which will reduce the number of potholes that develop on our roads.

“We’re also repairing potholes in less than three days after inspection, carrying out larger-scale fixes and using AI technology to speed up pothole detection.“

As for pothole claims, Cllr Furniss said Surrey County Council was only liable to pay for vehicle damage if it could be proven that the authority was negligent in inspecting and maintaining the roads.

He said that of the claims received over the 2023/24 period, 2,279 (86 percent) were rejected, 269 were settled, and 92 remained open as of December 2024.