The number of claims for pothole damage in Sheffield is at a five-year high, figures show.

Some 114 claims for compensation were lodged this financial year, double that of 2021, during Covid, when there were 57. The number has risen every year since then.

placeholder image — Pothole on Campo Lane, Sheffield. | nw

Meanwhile, payouts are at a four-year high.

In 2022, some £5,205 was paid for vehicle damage. This financial year the total was £10,637.

The figures are in a public database published by the city council.

It states the information relates to the highway network maintained under the Streets Ahead contract with Amey Hallam Highways Ltd, the city council’s private sector road maintenance contractor.

The company makes compensation payments from its own coffers, a city council spokesperson said.

The contract started in 2012 when Sheffield was known as ‘Pothole City’ due to its severely damaged roads.

In the first full year of the deal, to April 2014, there were 238 claims for pothole damage.

Over the next four years the figure fell to 57, but it is now on the rise.

The database also reveals the biggest single payment last year was £1,927. It is significantly less than the largest ever single payment for damage to a vehicle, in 2017, for £15,186.

Coun Barbara Masters on crumbling Greystones Road in January. | Barbara Masters

At the beginning of 2025, Sheffield had 2,864 potholes in need of repair, according to figures from Accident Claims Advice and confirmed by Sheffield City Council.

In January, harsh winter weather further damaged roads, including Greystones Road, which was highlighted by Coun Barbara Masters as a potential danger.

In February, the city council said Amey had resurfaced more than 916 miles of road and repaired more than 169,051 potholes.

Amey's contract with Sheffield City Council for the Streets Ahead highways maintenance project ends on August 19, 2037.

The 25-year private finance deal started on August 20, 2012 and covers the upgrading and maintenance of highways, pavements, street lights, and other street furniture.

Under the terms of the PFI contract, Amey pays out compensation claims, not the city council.

An Amey spokesperson said: “Sheffield has benefited from significant investment in its highway network since the start of the Streets Ahead PFI contract in 2012. According to the most recent Road Condition Statistics published by the Department for Transport (DfT) in December 2024, only one per cent of Sheffield ‘A’ roads were judged to require maintenance.

”Whilst the number of claims may have risen, only 1 in 3 claims have been accepted. The well documented rise in the cost of living has impacted the cost of car parts and repairs which in turn has increased the cost of paying out claims where liability is accepted.

“Streets Ahead carried out significant programme of investment in repair of non-urgent potholes in 2024/5 the impact of which has resulted in the very low number of claims received this financial year to date.”