TOWN halls forked out £1.7million to 23,000 motorists whose vehicles were damaged by potholes last year.
Drivers made 63 compensation claims every day because of decrepit roads, new figures show.
GettySurrey County Council dished out the most cash, with almost £237,000 given to successful claimants[/caption]
The number of pay-outs rose by six per cent on the previous year.
Surrey County Council dished out the most cash, handing almost £237,000 to successful claimants. And Staffordshire County Council paid out £105,000 as a result of dodgy roads.
Many authorities were forced to make individual payments in the tens of thousands of pounds. Last year, one motorist alone was paid almost £40,000 by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
Leeds City Council had a single £36,000 pay-out, while a driver in Kensington and Chelsea, West London, bagged £26,000 according to Freedom of Information data.
Local Government Association research shows town halls face a £14billion road repair backlog.
In Britain, spending on road fixtures has been reduced by more than in almost all leading countries.
Lib Dem local government spokesperson, Helen Morgan, said: “Cash-strapped councils are being left without the funding to maintain roads properly while having to shell out thousands in pothole pay-outs.”
She added: “Local authorities need to have their highway maintenance budgets urgently restored.”
Last week, Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced £235million diverted funding from the watered down HS2 project to upgrade and repair roads in London.
But critics accused him of using money designated for the North to improve lives of motorists in the South.