THE amount of compensation claimed by Oxfordshire drivers for pothole damage more than doubled in two years.

New figures released from the RAC Foundation revealed that in 2013/14 motorists in the county put in 884 claims, of which 266 were successful.

And almost £68,000 was paid out in compensation.

The amount increased from £32,223.40 the previous year, when 703 claims were made.

In December, Oxfordshire County Council was handed £87m by the Government to fix potholes between 2015 and 2021. Abingdon taxi driver Colin Dobson said the state of the county’s roads had been poor for years, with some “subsiding and collapsing in front of your eyes”.

County council cabinet member for transport David Nimmo Smith said the council would soon start spending the £87m.

He said: “The pothole money given to us last year is for a six-year period so we have not spent it yet.

“I think the reason for the increase in claim numbers, and how many are successful, is that people are getting better at submitting them to us.

“We see more claims at the moment with pictures, for instance, and more information that helps put forward a better case.

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“That makes it easier for us to deal with and in some of those cases easier for us to hold our hands up. If we do not know about potential claims then we cannot be held liable.

“But I am quite up front about the fact that if we have not performed correctly then it is reasonable for us to accept responsibility.”

People can claim compensation if their vehicle has been damaged or they have been injured after hitting a pothole.

The county council will only pay out if it has been negligent or failed to meet a legal duty.

According to the figures neighbouring Buckinghamshire only paid out £3,745 in response to 11 successful claims.

But Wiltshire Council paid out more than £123,000 after 433 successful claims were submitted, up from 117 in the previous year.

The county council has a legal duty to maintain roads and, according to the Highways Act 1980, must take “reasonable steps” to make sure they are safe.

Taxi driver Mr Dobson added: “I have been a taxi driver for six years and in those years I would say the state of the roads has stayed about the same.

“There are the same old potholes in Stratton Way and Milton Hill. That is where they are really bad.

“In Milton Hill the road is subsiding and collapsing in front of your eyes.

“You can see it when it freezes and then the temperature rises again and the potholes open up.

“But I am still surprised that it has gone up by so much.

“As a taxi driver I often drive to avoid the potholes because I know where they are.

“I have not hit any but I certainly would claim like other people are.”

Grandmother Mary Sitch from Bladon, near Woodstock, said she damaged her car when she hit a pothole in April 2013 and has still not received compensation.

The 88-year-old: “I hit a pothole on the Lower Road between the Main Road through Bladon and the A40.

“It does not surprise me one bit that claims have risen.

“It caused me £257 of damage to my car but has caused me more in lost time and letters.”

Mrs Sitch said the council told her they would not pay out because they were not aware of a pothole in that location.

She said: “I am still hopping mad, I am never going to get the money.

“We the drivers pay our road tax and our council taxes and we get treated like idiots.”

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