Drivers paid £4.8 million over potholes

Motorists in the UK have been paid out more than £4.8 million in compensation over the past two years for damage caused by potholes, new research reveals.

East Lothian settled 180 claims totalling £17,160, while West Lothian paid out compensation of just over £2500 to 164 claimants. Edinburgh declined to respond to the survey by Britannia Rescue

More than one in eight drivers (13 per cent) have suffered car damage as a result of poor road surfaces since 2010, according to the study.

And three in four motorists (76 per cent) believe road surfaces are now in a worse state than they were five years ago.

Britannia Rescue found 54,436 claims were made in two years.