Wiltshire Council disputes pothole spending figures
A report from MoneySuperMarket suggests the authority spent £69 million on fixing road defects.
The figures obtained by the price comparsion website claim that since January 2017, Wiltshire Council had the biggest spending of any local authority in Britain, for fixing potholes.
But the Council say the numbers are 'incorrect' as the £68,636,826 amount quoted includes the money put towards road resurfacing during that time, as well pothole repairs.
The suggested spending puts Wiltshire Council almost £17.5 million ahead of second placed Warwickshire County Council, in terms of money put towards roads.
Hampshire County Council is ranked 9th on the figures, with a spend of £11,004,031.
Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet member for Highways, said:
"The report is incorrect as most of the £69m figure includes the cost of our road resurfacing programme, which is generally the most cost-effective means of reducing potholes and preventing them forming.
"We are spending more on reactive road maintenance than ever before, and over recent years we have seen the historic backlog being greatly reduced. But our focus remains on increasing planned maintenance that stops potholes appearing in the first place.
"Where there are local road issues we'd encourage people to report them using MyWilts and we will address these as quickly as possible."
Deepa Patel, car insurance spokesperson at MoneySuperMarket, said it's still important to be protected against any damage caused by road defects:
"As most drivers will know, potholes are a real nuisance. It's not only that they can be dangerous from a safe driving perspective, but they can also cause damage to your car. Burst tyres, problems with suspension and even damage to your vehicle's body work - potholes can really make their presence felt.
"The cost of repairs for this kind of damage can be high, so it's important you have the correct level of insurance cover - particularly if you live in an area where potholes are common."