Stoke Hill tops list for pothole damage claims as no Exeter claims accepted in 2025

Devon County Council accepted none of the pothole damage claims made in Exeter in 2025, according to data obtained by Exeter Today.

Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that out of 83 claims made to the council for damage caused by potholes in Exeter between 2023 and 2025, just 9 per cent were offered compensation.

No claims for pothole damage in Exeter were accepted in 2025, and only one claim out of 47 submitted in 2024 was paid out by Devon County Council.

Devon County Council has said it looks at every compensation claim “individually” and will pay out “when the evidence shows [it is] legally responsible”.

“Compensation isn’t automatic, as the law recognises that councils can’t find and fix every pothole straight away,” said a spokesperson for Devon County Council.

When looking into a claim, the council says it checks things such as when the road was last inspected, whether it knew the pothole was there, and what action it had already taken.

It is understood claims can take up to 16 weeks to be investigated, as the council maintains a “robust inspection system” and advises that money awarded as compensation comes from “council funds that would otherwise support local services.”

Among the claims submitted to Devon County Council between 2023 and 2025, 10 were submitted for potholes on Stoke Hill, Exeter, and nine for Church Hill in Pinhoe.

Other roads with multiple claims include Prince of Wales Road and Pennsylvania Road with five each.

"We know potholes can be frustrating and can sometimes lead to expensive vehicle repairs,” added the Devon County Council Spokesperson.

“Our main focus is preventing potholes from causing problems in the first place. We regularly inspect roads and prioritise the most serious repairs. As well as fixing potholes, we're resurfacing roads, sealing cracks and improving drainage to help reduce the number of potholes that develop in future.

“We're also trialling ways to identify and repair defects before they reach safety intervention levels. As part of this proactive approach, we repaired more than 700 non-safety potholes across the Exeter area during 2024/25 and 2025/26, helping to improve road conditions and prevent further deterioration.”