Exclusive by Jo Sword

Almost £250,000 has been shelled out by Kent County Council over the past four years to motorists who have had damage to their cars caused by potholes.

More than 3,000 people have claimed against KCC for damage, although that figure is quite good compared to many areas of the UK.

The figures have been released following a Freedom of Information Act request from KM Group.

Last year, the £83,900 paid out to claimants was more than three times as much as the total in 2006.

However, the figure indicates KCC is doing a good job maintaining the county's roads bearing in mind how much is spent across the country.

According to the latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, around £35.2million was paid out in compensation claims across England and Wales in 2009.

Andrew Howard, head of safety at the AA, said: "With Kent having about a 60th of the population you would expect the figure to be much higher for just one year - so that may suggest Kent is doing a good job in maintaining their highways."

One 60th of £35.2million is around £587,000, significantly lower than the £83,900 paid out by KCC.

The figures come as the authority reveals it has fixed 10,000 potholes so far this year following last month's cold snap.

Audio: Cllr Nick Chard, KCC cabinet member for environment and highways, talks about the blitz on potholes

Mr Howard added: "Potholes can cause pretty considerable damage. It is what hits the pothole that gets into trouble, so it is the tyres, the wheels, the suspension and perhaps the bodywork. It can run into a substantial amount of money.

"The council is not meant to let faults exist that it knows about. If you can prove there is a pothole on the road the council knows about and hasn't done anything about it, you are able to make a compensation claim."

Kent County Council was contacted but did not wish to comment.