BBC research has found that Shropshire Council paid out more than £1 million in pothole compensation claims over a five-year period — the highest total of any council in England, Scotland or Wales.
Figures obtained by the BBC through FOI requests show the council paid £1,033,236 between April 2020 and March 2025 after receiving 3,472 claims from motorists and road users reporting damage caused by potholes.
The amount was almost £80,000 higher than the second-highest authority, Derbyshire.
One major factor is the sheer size of the road network. Shropshire Council maintains one of the longest road networks in England, covering thousands of miles of rural roads, lanes and A-roads. Rural networks are often more expensive and difficult to maintain because the roads are spread across large areas and suffer wear from weather, heavy vehicles and agricultural traffic.
As such, the council said the figures were ‘no surprise.’
Shropshire Council also ranked third nationally for the number of successful claims, paying compensation in around 70% of cases submitted during the period.
Often councils reject the majority of claims because they are not automatically liable for pothole damage. Under UK law, authorities can defend claims if they can show they had a reasonable inspection and repair system in place.
The council – who have repaired 30,000 potholes in the last year – is now piloting a community ‘road warden’ scheme that will allow trained volunteers to help tackle minor potholes and prevent road damage in rural areas. The initiative will focus heavily on improving drainage and clearing water from roads, which is a major cause of pothole formation, while volunteers may also carry out small approved pothole repairs using cold lay materials on quieter roads and footways.
David Vasmer, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and environment, said: ‘This pilot scheme offers a number of benefits, including a faster response to small issues, more cost-effective maintenance that will reduce the pressure on Shropshire Council resources, and cleaner, safer and more attractive roads and verges. It will also strengthen the relationship between Shropshire Council and the parish council, ensuring shared responsibility for public spaces.
‘If other parish councils are interested in setting up their own road warden scheme I encourage them to contact us.’
Richard Roycroft, chair of Church Preen, Hughley & Kenley Parish Council, said: ‘We’re very concerned about the state of our lanes here locally. Residents understandably complain about road surface and pothole problems. Visitors often sadly incur tyre and wheel damage and local businesses suffer.
‘So we’re keen to do our bit here to ‘get the water off the roads’ – then Shropshire Council can come and fix the lanes. I’ve been checking ditches and drains and clearing those is top priority. We were delighted to get nearly 40 residents to a local volunteers meeting. We’ve now had our training and we’re very pleased to be making a start.’
Leave a Reply