Surrey is paying out far more in claims for cars damaged on the county’s roads than any other council in the country.
Figures published by breakdown firm Britannia Rescue show that in the two-year period 2010/11 to 2011/12 the county paid out £638,239 in claims for car damage - four times the amount paid out by the next nearest county council which is Nottinghamshire, which paid out £158,578.
Stephen Cooksey, the Liberal Democrat environment and transportation spokesperson on Surrey County Council (SCC), said: "Theses figures are very concerning in a number of ways.
"They are hitting Surrey council taxpayers hard in the pocket.
"They are causing damage and inconvenience to the vehicles of Surrey motorists and they are a safety risk to Surrey highways users.
"Surrey Liberal Democrats have been constantly calling for improved highway maintenance, but a recent internal audit report suggests that in the future only dangerous potholes may be repaired by the new highways contractor who have been in place for over a year.
"We want to see a massive improvement in these figures, and will hold the Conservative administration to account if we don't see it."
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