Over £600,000 in compensation has been paid to motorists after pothole-related car accidents in area in the south of England; new figures have revealed.
Data obtained by Britannia Rescue has shown that drivers were granted a total of £638,239 in damages from Surrey County Council after being involved in accidents caused by road surface hazards between January 2010 and January 2012, the Surrey Mirror reports.
This represents by far the highest figure awarded by any local authority throughout this timeframe, with Nottinghamshire County Council in second place with compensation of £158,578 and Kent County Council third with £133,593.
There is widespread dissatisfaction among local residents with regard to the state of the region's roads, with 92-year-old Suzette Hammond telling the news source many road surfaces are in "terrible" condition.
Meanwhile, Neil Barham, whose car was damaged by a pothole recently, said the Council is "one of the most inefficient organisations in the country".