The true cost of potholes on Rotherham’s roads

Rotherham Borough Council successfully defended itself against 37 of the 151 claims made against it by angry motorists and spent a total of £16,157 defending claims between May 1 last year and April 30, 2013.

But 112 of the cases are still outstanding, meaning that a much higher bill could be on the cards.

In the past three years, the authority has paid £14,007 in compensation for damage to vehicles.

News of the legal costs incurred prompted many to argue that money would be better spent on road maintenance than battles with ratepayers, with Rotherham Advanced Motorcyclists’ senior observer, Martin Smith, claiming that some roads have become “no-go zones”.

He said: “It has gone beyond the point where the state of the borough’s roads poses a risk to vehicles alone, they are a serious road safety issue in themselves.

“As a group there are roads that we treat as no go zones. There are certain places where the state of the roads can just give you too much to think about along with the usual array of potential hazards.”

The number of irate road users who believe that the borough’s torn-up tarmac has caused damage to their cars has more than doubled in the past five years according to figures obtained by the Advertiser via Freedom of Information Act requests.

Between January 1, 2007 and the end of June, 2009, 150 compensation claims had been made against the authority.

There were six successful claims during that period, compared with just two in the past 12 months.

It is a far cry from figures recorded between 2002 and 2006 when one-in-six claims were successful — resulting in pay outs of £14,242.

Dave Shaw, from Parkgate-based AP Tyres, admitted that the “terrible” condition of Rotherham’s roads was great for business.

He said: “We have people in every day that have suffered damage to their vehicles because they’ve hit potholes.

“Everything from cracks in the steel wheels of commercial vehicles to alloy wheels that have been split in half.

“Certain roads are just terrible, but from our point of view it’s good for business.”

Colin Knight, the borough council’s Highway Network Manager, said the authority’s primary objective is to ensure that Rotherham’s roads and footways were maintained to the nationally recognised safety standards, adding: “This is achieved by our Highway Inspection and Enforcement Team, which carries out routine safety inspections on a regular basis.

“The A57 and other main roads in Rotherham all have safety inspections carried out every month.

“From April 2012 to March 2013, pothole repairs for the whole of Rotherham cost £450,000 with 90 per cent of holes being made safe within 24 hours.

“This is one reason why Rotherham has a repudiation rate of over 90 per cent with respect to highway insurance claims.

“In the three year period from April 1, 2010, to date the authority has paid £14,007 in compensation to road users.”

Mr Knight said that the condition of Rotherham’s roads compared well to standards nationally, but added: “Unfortunately we have to accept that it is just not possible to keep all of Rotherham’s road network in top condition at all times.

“Between 2008 and 2010 central Government funding of £5 million was secured for the principal network — our A roads.

“Only three per cent of these roads now require significant works compared to the 19 per cent of unclassified network, such as estate-type roads.

“However, a £3 million investment programme is currently being carried out on large patching-type works on these roads.

“In all, Rotherham Borough Council intends to invest £23.056 million in the borough’s highways over the next three years with £15.444 million of that expected to be spent in 2013/14.”