ONLY one in ten drivers who make claims against Essex councils for damage caused by faulty roads succeed in receiving compensation.

Figures obtained by the RAC Foundation show Essex County Council paid out £24,516 to drivers as a result of road defects during 2015/16.

But the council, which received 818 claims during the year, only paid out on 81 occasions.

Meanwhile, Southend Council, which is independent from the county council and controls highways in the borough, paid out only £52 in the last financial year, with only eight per cent of claims being successful.

A Southend Council spokesman said: “The low level of pay-out for pothole compensation claims in Southend is testament to the effectiveness of the council’s road resurfacing and maintenance programme.

“We staunchly defend claims against the council and in so doing protect taxpayers’ money, so that it can continue to be spent on vital public services.”

Southend Council paid out £740 in compensation during 2014/15 and £2,443 in 2013/14.

The county council figures, meanwhile, also represent a significant reduction in payouts compared to previous years.

The authority paid a similar sum, £23,386, in 2014/15, but the figure for 2013/14 was £156,008.

This week, Essex County Council revealed the number of potholes on main routes had halved thanks to “significant investment” in the road network.

Between June and September this year, there had been a 47 per cent drop in the number of defects on “priority routes”, such as the A127 and A13.

Eddie Johnson, county councillor responsible for highways and transport, said: “Following a record summer for road surfacing, we have seen an impressive reduction in potholes.

“This has been helped further thanks to the Government’s ‘Pothole Action Fund’ allowing us to send out extra repair crews onto the county’s roads.

“We understand potholes are a real frustration for drivers across the county.

“That is why we have not only invested in repairing potholes, but also invested in surfacing roads to ensure they last for years to come.”

Crews fixed 2,627 defects on the roads over the past three months compared to 1,638 between April and June.

Nationally, the RAC research showed the average value of a claim was £432, while the average successful claim was £306.