LincsOnline Freedom of Information requests to Lincolnshire and Rutland county councils reveal the most expensive potholes
A pothole which has cost the council £75,000 is the most expensive in Lincolnshire in more than a decade.
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by LincsOnline have revealed the potholes in Lincolnshire and Rutland which have resulted in the highest payouts over the past 10 years.
The most expensive pothole was in Caistor High Street, which resulted in Lincolnshire County Council paying out £75,000 damages in 2017, followed by Old Mill Way in South Cockerington which sparked a bill of £65,000.
Also making the list - which can be seen in full below - was Red Lion Square, Stamford, for an incident in 2019 which cost the council £30,000.
The Yorkstone setts in the town square were the source of plenty of nasty trips since they were initially laid in 2007, and in 2022 were ripped up and replaced to make the road safer.
The B116 South Eau Bank, which had the third most expensive pothole payout at £45,000 in 2019, has also been repaired.
This road had been pushed out of shape because of drought damage which has caused the material underneath to move.
In the past 10 years 15,724 pothole-related compensation claims were made to Lincolnshire County Council. Of these 5% were for personal injury and the remaining 95% were for property damage.
Just under half of the claims were settled by the council, which paid out £2.6million in compensation - split 44% for personal injury and 56% for damages.
Others seeking damages weren’t quite as successful and had their claims refused or heard in court.
Rutland County Council only holds data on potholes from 2018 onwards, a spokesperson said when responding to the Freedom of Information request.
In Rutland the most expensive pothole was in Rectory Lane, Edith Weston and cost the county council £8,497 after someone was injured in November 2019, followed by a crater damaging a vehicle in Cold Overton Road which resulted in a compensation claim of £1,038 against in 2018.
About £14,800 has been paid out by the council for 28 separate claims.
Figures are on the rise with 38% of compensation claims between 2018 and 2024 made in the past year alone, many of which have not yet been settled or rejected.
The top 10 most expensive pothole payouts in Lincolnshire are:
Nettleton B1225 Caistor High Street - £75,000
Old Mill Way, South Cockerington - £65,000
B1166 South Eau Bank - £45,000
B1449 Mumby Road, Bilsby - £40,000
Lordship Road, Theddlethorpe All Saints - £33,000
Main Street, Claypole - £38,222
Red Lion Square, Stamford - £30,000
A15 northbound towards Bourne - £30,000
Stone Pit Lane, Keelby - £25,000
Londonthorpe Road, Grantham - £25,000
The top 10 most expensive pothole payouts in Rutland are:
Rectory Lane, Edith Weston - £8497
Cold Overton Road, Langham - £1,083
Main Street, Empingham - £700
Stamford Road, Ryhall - £557
Wing Road, Preston - £354
Mill Street, Ryhall - £334
Main Street, Empingham - £300
B1176 Careby Road - £288
Fosse Lane, Thistleton - £250
A47, Tixover - £248
To view an interactive map of the potholes with the highest compensation payouts, click here.
Have you had a pothole payout? Share your story by emailing: news@lincsonline.co.uk
