Not all potholes come with gloves
Repairing potholes created by the recent severe cold weather could cost tens of millions to repair, local councils have revealed.
Drivers whose journeys have been disrupted by the recent spell of frozen weather are now set to face further problems as local government comes to terms with the damage caused by the extreme conditions. Potholes have appeared up and down the country, leaving the nation's roads scarred and potentially dangerous, and councils struggling to keep up with the amount of repairs. One road in Scarborough was so badly pothole-ridden that it had to be temporarily closed.
With repairs set to continue long into 2010, local authorities are bracing themselves for a wave of compensation claims, as motorists look to claim back for the damage caused. The average repair bill for pothole damage is £240, and six per cent of all of Britain's cars are expected to suffer from some type of problem caused by potholes. This is normally a burst tyre, but axle and suspension damage is also common.
But even with councils working flat out, a road network scarred by hastily repaired 'patching' - which is vulnerable to pothole damage - has made their job almost impossible. Fed-up motorists are being advised by campaigning site potholes.co.uk to give no quarter, however, and to recoup the cost of insurance claims with compensation from councils rather than via insurance claims.
Still, every cloud and all that - Paul Butcher from Instamac, a company which supplies pothole-filling materials, has said he expects his sales to double or even triple.
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