These are officially the worst roads in England for potholes – and here’s what to do if you hit one
THE English roads most affected by potholes have been revealed - and it's bad news for drivers in the North West.
Manchester is home to the road with the most uneven surface in the country, receiving the largest number of complaints for its poor condition.
Oldham Road leading into the city centre has received a whopping 741 complaints over the last year, according to research conducted by Car Parts 4 Less.
Next in line was Oxford Street in the City of Westminster, which received 589 driver complaints, while the A346 in Wiltshire came in a distant third with 304.
The East Midlands was home to the next two most dodgy roads, while London featured a total of three times on the list.
Lordship Lane in Southwark and Beggar Bush Lane both received 183 complaints, while Glascote Road in Staffordshire rounded out the top 10 with 157 reports of damage.
Crumbling roads racked up a damage bill of close to £1billion for drivers in 2017, with repairs often leaving Brits thousands of pounds out of pocket.
An estimated 24,000 miles of roads around the UK are affected by potholes, causing damage to millions of cars each year.
Yet councils don't appear to be doing enough to fix the problem.
According to the research, Manchester City Council was given almost £20million by the Government for maintenance of local highways in 2015.
HOW TO CLAIM FOR POTHOLE DAMAGE
Pothole damage costs UK motorists almost £1billion a year - but you might not always have to foot the bill.
Compensation from the council or Highways England is possible although it's not straightforward.
First, you should ensure you take notes and photos at the scene and record the exact damage plus the size and shape of the pothole along with any contact details of witnesses.
You'll most likely need to get the damage repaired immediately but if you can, ring around for several quotes so you can provide evidence during a claim that you've searched for the best price.
You should also flag up the pothole via the .
Then, to submit your claim, write a letter to the council or Highways England (if it's an A-road or motorway) outlining where the damage was caused, the extent of it and that you're holding them liable.
You'll get a response, often within a couple of weeks and likely a refusal to pay under Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980 - a one-size-fits-all defence that says all reasonable steps to maintain the road were taken, and all potholes were dealt with in a timely manner.
Once this happens, you'll need to determine if the council has fulfilled the Section 58 obligations by asking questions about the scheduling and quality of inspections and repairs on the road.
If you believe you have a case write again outlining your findings. The council will either pay up or leave you with the choice of going to small claims court.
Small claims court is fairly cheap and easy but you need to decide if it'll really offset the cost of the repairs and time invested.
But figures show the council spent just under £25,000 of that to repair Oldham Road during 2016/17, leaving it still in a sorry state.
In the last year, the UK government spent £4.5billion on road maintenance, compared to the four year high of £4.6billion in 2014/15.
Anyone who suffers damage to their car as a direct result of a pothole may be able to make a compensation claim to their local authority.
Drivers with enough evidence to support their claim could potentially gain some form of compensation, but it's certainly not guaranteed.
DEEP TROUBLE How to report pothole damage to the council – making a claim and your rights explained
And bizarrely, a pothole has to be a certain size before the Government is even interested in investigating it.
Potholes that are 40mm or below don't even qualify for investigation under Government guidelines introduced in October 2016.
It states councils aren't obliged to send an inspector unless it gets bigger than this size - the equivalent of two 20p pieces stacked on top of each other.
your guide to car maintenance
A spokesperson from Car Parts 4 Less said: “It's interesting to see this year’s worst and most expensive roads in direct comparison to last year.
"Once again the North West has the number one most complained about road, and year after year the South are spending the most on road maintenance.
“Although this tool won’t fix the offending roads for drivers, it should help driver’s awareness of the worst roads and which to avoid to protect their car from damage."
