Potholes are one of the most common hazards on Britain's roads, and one of the most expensive. A single deep hole can wreck a tyre, crack an alloy wheel, damage suspension or throw your steering out of line, and the repair bill can run into hundreds of pounds. Reporting a pothole takes only a couple of minutes, and if one damages your car, you may be able to claim the cost of the repairs back from the authority responsible for the road. This guide explains how to report a pothole, who is responsible for which roads, and how to make a compensation claim that stands the best chance of succeeding.

Potholes form when water gets into small cracks in the road surface, freezes and expands, and then breaks the surface apart under the weight of traffic. They get worse after heavy rain and cold snaps, which is why they seem to appear in clusters in late winter and spring. There is no single legal definition of a pothole, but many councils treat a defect around 40 millimetres deep, roughly the height of a 50p coin stood on its edge, as the point at which a hole in the carriageway needs attention. Shallower defects on pavements, around 25 millimetres, can also be treated as hazardous. Councils assess defects on a risk basis, taking account of their size, depth, location, the type of road and how much traffic uses it.

How to report a pothole

For most roads in England and Wales, the easiest way to report a pothole is through GOV.UK's report a pothole service. Enter the postcode of the road where you found the hole, and the service points your report to the right local council. Give the road name, the precise location, the direction of travel and a description of the defect. A photograph helps if you can take one safely, but never stop in traffic or walk onto a busy road to inspect or photograph a pothole. Keep the reference number if the service gives you one.

The road you are reporting matters, because different authorities look after different roads. If the pothole is on a motorway or a major A-road managed by National Highways in England, report it directly to National Highways instead, either through its online reporting service or by calling 0300 123 5000, which is staffed 24 hours a day. In London, Transport for London is responsible for red routes. Drivers in Scotland can report potholes by selecting their local council through mygov.scot, and drivers in Northern Ireland report by marking the pothole on a map through nidirect. You can also report defects through FixMyStreet, which forwards reports to the relevant authority, or through the cycling charity's Fill That Hole tool, both of which are useful if you are not sure who looks after a particular stretch of road.

Why reporting matters, even if your car is fine

It is worth reporting a pothole even when it has not damaged your car. Highway authorities have a legal duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to keep the roads they are responsible for in a reasonable state of repair. That duty is not absolute, and the law gives authorities a defence, but a report creates an official record that the authority knew about the hazard. If a pothole has already been reported and the council fails to fix it within a reasonable time, it becomes much harder for the council to argue that it did not know about the danger. That matters for road safety, and it matters for anyone who later claims compensation for damage caused by that same hole.

Councils are also under growing pressure to keep on top of repairs. The government has committed £1.6 billion a year to local road maintenance in England, as part of a wider £7.3 billion package, and councils are now rated red, amber or green depending on how well they spend the money and maintain their roads. Reports from the public are one of the main ways councils find out about new defects, so a two-minute report genuinely helps decide where repair crews go next.

What to do if you hit a pothole

If you hit a pothole, pull over somewhere safe as soon as you reasonably can. Do not stop in a live lane of traffic. Once you are safely stopped, check for obvious signs of damage, such as a bulging or flat tyre, fluid leaking underneath the car, or a warning light on the dashboard. If anything looks seriously wrong, do not keep driving: call for recovery instead. Driving on a damaged tyre or with broken suspension can turn a repair bill into an accident.

If the car seems fine to drive, take a moment to gather evidence before you leave the scene. Photograph the pothole itself, ideally with something for scale such as a shoe or a drinks can next to it, along with any visible damage to your car. Note down the exact location, the road name, the nearest junction or postcode, and the date and time. If anyone saw what happened, ask for their contact details in case you need a witness later. Report the pothole straight away if you have not already done so, and keep the reference number: a dated report is proof that the authority knew about the defect, and some councils will not process a claim without one.

How to claim compensation for pothole damage

If a pothole has damaged your car, you can claim the cost of repairs from whichever authority is responsible for that stretch of road: usually the local council, or National Highways for motorways and major A-roads. Report the pothole first if you have not already, since this creates an official record and strengthens your case. Then gather your evidence before any repair work goes ahead: photographs of the pothole and the damage, the exact location and date, any witness details, and one or two repair quotes. Keep hold of receipts if you have had to pay for an urgent fix.

Submit your claim to the responsible authority's claims team, setting out what happened, where and when it happened, and how much it has cost you to fix. Most councils and National Highways have an online claim form. The authority will investigate and may accept the claim, reject it, or offer a partial settlement, so check any offer carefully, since it may not cover everything you are owed. You can also claim on your own insurance, but you cannot be paid twice for the same repair, so choose the route that makes most sense for you and be aware that an insurance claim may affect your premium and your no-claims discount.

Why claims get rejected: the Section 58 defence

Many pothole claims are rejected, and the reason is usually the same. Under Section 58 of the Highways Act 1980, a highway authority can defend a claim if it can show that it had a reasonable system of inspection and repair in place, and that it could not reasonably have known about the defect. In plain terms, the council does not have to pay simply because the hole was there: it only has to pay if it failed to look after the road properly.

That is why your evidence matters so much. A claim is far stronger when you can show that the pothole had already been reported, that it had been there for a long time, that it was deep enough to be dangerous, or that the council's own inspection records show the road had not been checked when it should have been. If your claim is rejected, you can ask the council for information about when the road was last inspected and whether the pothole had previously been reported, by making a freedom of information request. According to RAC figures obtained under freedom of information laws, 53,015 pothole damage claims were submitted to councils across England, Scotland and Wales in 2024, and councils paid out on around 26 per cent of them, so a well-evidenced claim is far from a lost cause.

What if your claim is turned down?

If your claim is rejected and you believe you have a strong case, you can take it to the small claims court, which handles claims up to £10,000 in England and Wales. It is worth getting some professional advice first, since court action costs money and you could still lose and be liable for costs. Before going to court, consider writing back to the council with any extra evidence you have, such as the inspection history you obtained, and asking it to reconsider. Some councils settle at this stage rather than defend a claim in court. Keep copies of everything: your report reference, your photographs, your repair quotes and receipts, and every letter or email from the authority.

Time limits for claiming

Do not sit on a claim. As a rule of thumb, you generally have six years to claim for damage to your car alone, or three years if you have been injured, under the Limitation Act 1980. But the pothole itself is likely to be repaired at some point, which makes your evidence much harder to gather the longer you wait, and witnesses forget details. Report the pothole on the day it happens, get your repair quotes promptly, and put the claim in as soon as you have the paperwork together.

How to avoid pothole damage

You cannot dodge every pothole, but a few habits reduce your chances of damage. Leave a good gap to the car in front so you have time to spot a pothole and react, rather than swerving suddenly, which can be more dangerous than driving straight through it. Slow down on roads you know are rough, particularly after heavy rain or a cold snap, when potholes tend to appear and worsen. Keep your tyres at the correct pressure, since underinflated tyres are more prone to damage on impact. And if you do pick up a knock, keep an eye out for warning signs at your next service: worn tyres, misaligned tracking and knocking suspension are exactly the sort of thing that shows up as an MOT advisory or a failure.

Potholes are an unfortunate fact of life on UK roads, but a little know-how goes a long way. Report what you see, know what to check after a hard knock, and do not be afraid to put in a claim if a pothole costs you money. The process is more straightforward than it looks, and the repair bill is yours to claim back.