The staggering cost of pot holes

Last year, Calderdale Council paid out £3,848.72, compared to £150 in 2012/13, to motorists who claimed that potholes on the roads in the borough had damaged their car.

Fifty-four motorists had claimed but only four had been successful - an increase of 7.4 per cent in the number of claims that were successful.

Almost 50,000 drivers across the UK made a claim last year to their local authorities for damage caused to their vehicles by potholes.

A Freedom of Information request from the RAC Foundation revealed that 48,664 claims were made in the 2013/14 financial year, which is equivalent to one compensation claim being made every 11 minutes.