Sheffield roads: Roads firm Amey pays out thousands as pothole claims hit five-year high
Sheffield roads: Roads firm Amey pays out thousands as pothole claims hit five-year high.
The number of pothole damage claims in Sheffield has reached a five-year high, according to records.
This fiscal year, 114 compensation claims were filed, more than doubling the 57 filed in 2021 under Covid. Since then, the number has climbed year after year.
Meanwhile, payouts are at a four-year high.
In 2022, around £5,205 was paid for car damage. This financial year, the total was £10,637. It specifies that the information pertains to the highway network managed under the Streets Ahead contract with Amey Hallam Highways Ltd, the city council’s private sector road maintenance contractor.
According to a city council representative, the corporation pays compensation from its own funds. The contract began in 2012, when Sheffield was dubbed ‘Pothole City’ because of its seriously deteriorated roadways.
There were 238 claims for pothole damage during the first full year of the agreement, which ended in April 2014. Over the next four years, the figure dropped to 57, but it is now rising.
The database also shows that the largest single payment last year was £1,927. It is much less than the greatest single payout for car damage made in 2017, which was £15,186.
According to Accident Claims Advice numbers supplied by Sheffield City Council, there were 2,864 potholes in need of repair in Sheffield at the start of 2025.
In January, strong winter weather further damaged roads, notably Greystones Road, which Coun Barbara Masters identified as a possible hazard.
In February, the municipal council reported that Amey had resurfaced more than 916 km of road and repaired more than 169,051 potholes. Amey’s contract with Sheffield City Council for the Streets Ahead highway maintenance project expires on August 19, 2037.
The 25-year private financing agreement began on August 20, 2012, and covers the upgrade and maintenance of roadways, pavements, street lights, and other street furniture.
According to the provisions of the PFI contract, Amey pays out compensation claims, not the city government.
An Amey representative stated, “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 issued by the Department for Transport (DfT) in December 2024, only 1% of Sheffield’s ‘A’ roads were deemed to require maintenance.
“Although the number of claims has increased, just one-third of them have been accepted.
The well-documented rise in the cost of living has had an impact on the cost of automotive parts and maintenance, raising the expense of paying claims where culpability 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.”
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