BRITAIN is going pothole potty with councils shelling out every day to irate motorists.
Around £200 is the average compensation for vehicles damaged by potholes with 22,000 successful claims last year alone - all from taxpayers’ money.
But the really crazy thing is that data just released indicates that shoddy road maintenance costs drivers six times more than it costs councils to patch up our roads.
And for some with damaged cars even insurance may not be an option. This is because some drivers are unwilling to claim as they risk losing their no-claims bonus - the cost of repair may be less than the rise in premium.
Now the Government has told the Highways Agency to ignore any motorway potholes smaller than the size of a soup bowl from 2015. With rises in fuel duty and road tax it piles on more grief for the motorist.
Although cars these cars are very well built, the constant repetition of banging over potholes eventually causes damage. And at high-speed a small pothole can crack a driveshaft.
The main sufferers are shock absorbers and coil springs which are expensive to renew.
One spares company Carpartsdirect.com says that many customers are asking ask for a detailed invoice to claim from their authority. The company's steering racks and driveshafts are remanufactured items so the old part is returned when the job is done. Some are damaged so badly they are useless.
The company said that in 25 years it had never known this level of destruction.
Of course Britain is racked with financial headaches but for the amount motorists pay in taxes and congestion charges surely they deserve better.