Boyn Hill revealed as pothole hotspot as compensation costs rise for RBWM

Boyn Hill was the most pothole-ridden area in Maidenhead last year, figures show – and RBWM had to pay more overall for claims over damage to cars.

An FOI request looked at three things;

• the most problematic wards and roads
• the cost to the council of fixing potholes
• and the cost of pay-outs for cars damaged by them.

Numbers show that the largest number of potholes in 2024/25 were found in Boyn Hill – 14 in total.

Among the more populous places, Boyn Hill was clearly the worst, with roughly twice the potholes per head of most other urban areas in RBWM.

The biggest offending roads were Boyn Hill Avenue and Westmorland Road, tying with five potholes each.

Surprisingly, one of the most pothole-ridden places is Shurlock Row, which saw eight potholes last year despite having far fewer people living there.

What may make the difference are all the rural lanes – narrow, older, and built for low traffic. This, coupled with larger farming vehicles, can cause more potholes.

These were concentrated in a few specific areas – two on Binfield Road, two on Beenhams Heath, two on Hungerford Lane.

Meanwhile, three potholes each were found in Hurley and Old Windsor and two potholes were recorded each in Furze Platt, Oldfield, Holyport and Sunningdale.

Within Sunninghill – which had four potholes, a reasonably high concentration given its population size – three of these were on School Road.

As of August this year, there were 46 ‘open orders’ - pothole fixing jobs that have been logged but not yet completed.

Data also shows what RBWM spent on pothole repairs in the past three years.

This was £125,500 in 2024/25, compared to £196,300 the year before (2023/24).

In 2022/23, the council spent approximately £133,000 on pothole repairs.

As for compensation, RBWM has faced 69 claims this year, two of which were settled at £233 and £284.

For the past three years it has settled just one or two claims each year, but one notable difference is the cost.

In 2022/23, the lone legal settlement cost £141, and in 2023/24, the two settlements cost £74 and £182.

This means that RBWM’s most expensive claim last year cost £100 more than the most expensive from the year before.

The amount that is settled is calculated on a case-by-case basis, dependent on many factors, including the vehicle’s condition and the cost of a replacement.

As for the number of claims, this has dropped significantly. While 59 claims were made in 2022/23, this jumped up to 109 claims the year after, then back down to 69 claims.

A spokesperson for the Royal Borough said: “The Royal Borough takes the safety of our residents very seriously.

“Our team of highway inspectors conduct regular monitoring to inspect roads and highways and ensure appropriate action is taken.

“Residents are also able to report any issues they may come across in line with our commitment to maintaining a safe and sustainable transport network for all.”

• Data came from FOI requests sent by legal firm Personal Injury Claims UK: personalinjuryclaimsuk.org.uk