Berkshire councils last year (2018/19) spent over £21 million patching up the county’s local road network and received more than 7,602 complaints relating to damaged tarmac.

West Berkshire Council (West Berks) spent the most, with more than £8 million going into road repairs in the huge district.

The council with the most complaints or requests for repair was Wokingham Borough Council (Wokingham), with 2,399, yet it spent the second lowest on road repairs last year.

Slough Borough Council (SDBC) had the least requests but spent more cash on repairs than three Berkshire authorities: Windsor and Maidenhead Council (WMC), Wokingham and Reading Borough Council (RBC).

West Berks paid the most out in compensation claims for damage caused to vehicles by potholes, spending £5,319.63 on 17 successful claims out of a table-topping 154 attempts.

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RBC was the only council to pay out nothing in claims and did not pay out on any compensation claims last year across its departments.

The figures were revealed through a series of Freedom of Information requests by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The FSB is calling for several measures to help improve road infrastructure across the country.

They want:

  • More funding for local authorities
  • Better coordination between utility companies and local authorities
  • Asimple UK-wide system for reporting potholes
  • Local authorities to use innovative technology to monitor road condition.

RBC recently won £4.75 million in Department for Transport funding to invest in a two-year technological trial to help future proof roads and transport.

The project – Thames Valley Berkshire Live Labs – will span all Berkshire authorities and aims to tackle issues such as congestion, air quality, road surface quality and potholes, energy consumption and carbon emissions.