How one in eight claims for damage is submitted in March – so how bad are YOUR local roads?

Motorists are being warned to prepare for ‘peak pothole season’ with one in eight claims for damage submitted in March.

More than a third of pothole-related car breakdowns, bumps and collisions take place in the first three months of the year, according to car insurer Admiral.

And fresh data collected by the firm shows these claims have rocketed by 34 per cent since 2016.

The Daily Mail is campaigning for an end to the UK’s pothole plague, which is costing drivers millions of pounds in repairs while putting cyclists at risk of injury or death.

A wet and cold winter has already exacerbated Britain’s pothole problem – with bitter temperatures and high rainfall leaving record numbers of tarmac pits in some parts of the country.

Driving over a deep pothole, even at a low speed, can damage a vehicle’s tyres, alloy wheels, steering alignment and suspension.

Motorists who can prove damage to their vehicle was caused by a pothole can claim for cash to recover repairs – either through their councils or an authority which manages the road, like National Highways.

Meanwhile drivers with fully comprehensive car cover can also claim on their insurance.

But inflation and supply shortages have pushed the price of repairs up – and the cost of fixing pothole damage has risen by 16 per cent since last year, according to Admiral.

March is the busiest month for pothole claims – with 12.8 per cent of the annual total received within the month.

Yesterday (WED) at a transport committee hearing AA President Edmund King said the ‘state’ of the roads was the number one concern of its membership.

Addressing MPs, Mr King said: ‘When you talk to our member drivers about this strategic road network, the number one thing is the state of the roads – that is their number one concern – get rid of the potholes!’

Motorists who hit a pothole can increase their chances of a successful claim by taking a picture of the roadside pit and any damage to their vehicle.

Lorna Connelly, head of claims at Admiral, said: ‘We see more claims for pothole related damage in March than any other month, and with forecasters predicting a possible severe weather event at the start of the month similar to the one which caused the 2018 ‘Beast from the East’, this year is unlikely to be an exception.

‘Pothole pockets can quickly open up, especially if the weather has been bad, which means they might not have been there the last time you took that route.’

Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, said: ‘This is yet more evidence, if it was ever needed, of the desperate state of the UK’s roads – and shows the unnecessary damage inflicted on drivers through no fault of their own.

‘It’s high time the Government sat up, took notice and finally addressed the country’s pothole plague.’