Damage and injuries due to potholes and broken pavements across Norfolk led to hundreds of people getting a share of almost £120,000 in compensation, new figures have revealed.
Norfolk County Council has admitted liability in 228 compensation claim cases since April 2022 - with a total of £116,477 in payouts because of defective footpaths and potholes.
The authority denied liability in a further 778 claims for compensation, the bulk of which involved potholes or pavements.
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request reveal that, between April 2022 and October 2023, the council admitted liability in more than 150 pothole compensation claims and paid out £65,770.
The biggest pothole-related payout was £6,854, while the smallest was £30.
Defective pavements also cost the county council, with almost £51,000 paid out in 26 cases where the authority accepted liability, with the biggest being £7,200.
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In July, councillors were told the bill to clear the 'maintenance backlog' to bring Norfolk's roads up to standard had soared to £69m, as inflation pushed the cost up by 20pc in the space of just a year.
In November, the government announced the county council would get an extra £9m to tackle Norfolk potholes - with a total of £141m to be spent over the next decade.
Graham Plant, the county council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, defended Conservative-controlled County Hall's efforts to deal with potholes.
He said: “We have a responsibility for over 6,000 miles of road in Norfolk and our priority is to carry out proactive maintenance to prevent potholes occurring.
"But with such an extensive network of rural roads, high usage and bad weather, it is an inevitability they will occur and we always strive to fill them as quickly as possible.
"This year we have continued to work hard on highway maintenance, which includes replacing worn-out pavements, improving drainage, repairing bridges, and resurfacing or surface dressing roads."
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He said regular inspections were carried out and urged people to report defects at norfolk.gov.uk/highwayproblem.
Mr Plant added: "Where we receive claims for compensation as a result of incidents involving potholes we look at every claim on its merits.
"If we have met our responsibilities we will certainly defend a claim in order to protect the interests of Norfolk council taxpayers."
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