Irish drivers have long been aware of the threat of potholed roads, however, the situation in many parts of the UK is now perhaps even worse. This has been highlighted by new figures from Allianz Insurance which says that one in five cars that are damaged by potholes have to be written off. 

Allianz says that pothole claims payouts in the UK have trebled in the last five years and have so far accounted for £2.8 million in insurance payouts by the company this year. Damage such as cracked wheels, broken suspension and misaligned bodywork are most common and in 20% of cases the cost of repair is so high that the car is written off. Average repair bills stand at £4000. 

The insurance company gave the example of a £53,000 payout for a BMW 7 Series that was written off when it hit a pothole on a main road in Essex at night at 60mph. 

The Asphalt Industry Alliance estimated that to repair all the pothole damage on UK roads would cost some £16 billion.