Drivers have been paid more than £86,000 in compensation by Sutton Council in the past five years due to personal injuries and property damage caused by potholes, a freedom of information (FOI) request has revealed.
The FOI request made by the Sutton Guardian, disclosed that 142 claims were made and 11 had been settled since 2012.
Claims relating to potholes since 2012
The largest amount the council paid out was £57,802 in 2012 when three of 19 claims were settled.
But the amount handed out to claimants fell sharply year on year since then with only £318 being successfully claimed last year. The council did add however that claims currently in progress were excluded from the total.
The FOI request also revealed £443,328 had been spent on maintaining roads across Sutton in 2016.
Money spent on fixing potholes in Sutton since 2012
Sutton South councillor Tony Shields said the council had failed road users and the compensation paid out was a reflection of the lack work being done on the roads.
He said: “As a cyclist I can say that the roads have never been this bad and it’s particularly bad on Grove Road and York Road.
“They have not been touched for years and the road surface is worn to the point that it’s dangerous. The council is failing its duty for all road users and the compensation pay outs are a reflection of this, but that’s what happens when you spend just over £400,000 on maintaining the roads for a borough of this size.”
But Sutton Council said it found no issues with the roads and considered the area to be “in good condition”.
A Sutton Council spokesman said: “A routine yearly inspection was carried out back in January and there were no issues around the junction of Grove Road and York Road. In fact, the whole junction area is in a good condition.
“There were a number of minor repairs along Grove Road that were issued to our contractor and these have been completed. Regarding reported defects, we have had a minimal number, but none of these were regarding the condition of the carriageway at the junction of Grove Road and York Road.
“We are aware of a worn area under the rail bridge in York Road that is being monitored.”
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