DOUBLE the number of drivers are now receiving compensation because their vehicles have been damaged by potholes in Oxfordshire's roads.

Figures show Oxfordshire County Council, the organisation responsible for highways maintenance, received more than one claim a day about pothole damage between April last year and March 31.

During that time County Hall received 2,369 reports of potholes on the 2,801 miles of road it is responsible for.

It received 398 claims, paying out £27,322 in 125 cases where it was identified a hole was responsible for vehicle damage - an average of £218 per claim.

The figures are up on 2005/06, when the authority received 313 claims and paid out £20,586 in 66 cases - an average of £311 per claim.

County Hall said the average cost of settling a claim nationally was £600.

Hugh Jaeger, 43, of Cutteslowe, the Oxfordshire representative for the British Motorcyclists Federation, said: "Badly damaged surfaces can cause road users to lose control if they encounter them unawares.

"In such cases motorcycles are the most vulnerable class of vehicle.

"In my experience a lot of road surface faults close to Oxford have been fixed recently - cracks in the A34 Western Bypass through Hinksey, potholes on Heyford Hill roundabout on the A4142 Eastern Bypass, potholes on the A40 roundabouts at Oxford Services and the potholes in Marsh Lane linking Marston to the A40."

Last year, we reported how pensioner Ruth Racey of Halliday Hill, Headington, had a lucky escape when the back tyre of her moped blew as she rode over a deep pothole in Windmill Road. She escaped serious injury - but sent the council the repair bill.

The council in turn passed the invoice to Thames Water, claiming it was responsible, and the company duly paid up.

British motorists spend up to £100m a year repairing or replacing damaged tyres and wheels caused by potholes, according to a recent study by Kwik-Fit.

The increased number of alloy wheels fitted to cars was seen as a main cause why the expense in repairing wheel damage had increased.

Kwik-Fit found the average pothole damage repair costs £95, almost double the average amount it takes to repair the actual pothole, which is usually £50.

The areas where the least pothole damage was recorded in England was in the west country and Wales, with just over ten per cent of drivers being affected over the past five years.

The county council's assistant head of transport, Brian Fell, said: "Potholes are a problem for all local authorities

"The council does its best to repair potholes with the resources it has available each year. The council is also keen to oppose claims for compensation when the evidence shows it is appropriate."

Source: Witney Gazette.

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