Drivers potty about damaged vehicles

Average bill for suspension repairs is over £400

Potholes could cost Britain’s van drivers thousands in damage repair bills during the winter months, experts have warned.

With the number of potholes set to rise over the next three months experts from van leasing giant Leasevan.co.uk have revealed the shock costs British van drivers could face.

They found the average price to fix a pothole damaged van was over £400 while nearly one in ten drivers were forced to pay more than £1000.

While drivers can claim on their insurance for damage caused by pothole strikes, research found that two-thirds of van owners would rather pay for it themselves instead of letting it affect their premium.

Van drivers also face bigger repair bills than other motorists as on average they have to fork out an extra £100.

This is due to heavy loads carried in the back of many vans further compounding damage to the suspension, shock absorbers and wheels after they hit a pothole.

Vans are more susceptible to this type of damage during the winter months as road conditions deteriorate due to cold weather.

Ice cold temperatures can lead to more potholes on Britain’s highways as freezing water gets into cracks and breaks up road surfaces.

Some of the country’s roads are already in poor condition and with winter incoming these may only get worse.

Van drivers have been urged to steer clear of suspension snapping potholes as best they can this winter.

Tim Alcock from Leasevan.co.uk said: “Vans are one of the worse vehicles affected by pothole damage. Through no real fault of their own the unluckiest drivers may have to pay over a thousand pounds to get them fixed.

“After a long and tiring day at work it can be easy to not see one of the many potholes that line the country’s roads. It only takes a split second to hit one of the craters which could leave drivers with a damaged van and hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

“The heavy weight of a van along with the tools carried in the back mean the impact on key components is much more severe and can result in an expensive repair bill.

“Drivers must be particularly careful not to get caught out this winter as cold temperatures could wreak havoc on Britain’s roads as the number of new potholes will continue to rise.

“This is why we wanted to highlight the high costs some drivers could potentially face if they hit a pothole and urge them to avoid the nasty holes as best they can this winter.”

Edinburgh was last month dubbed the pothole capital of the UK, with 112,619 pot holes reported between January 2015 and March 2018. It’s estimated that city motorists must weave their way through 73 pot holes per kilometre on the capital’s crumbling roads.

Edinburgh’s repairs backlog could take TWO YEARS to clear, and with cash-strapped councils cutting back the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

We’re in for a bumpy ride …