Kerry County Council received more than 4,400 (4,403) pothole complaints in the last three years.
Over the same period, 253 pothole damage claims were submitted.
Of these claims, 74 were settled by the council.
That according to information gathered under Freedom of Information.
The total amount paid out in damage compensation was €18,377 despite Kerry County Council spending over 131 million euro (€131,685,463I in road maintenance for the three years.
Nationally, the number of complaints about potholes has surged 92 per cent in the past three years.
People in Cork complain more about potholes than anywhere else, according to Freedom of Information figures.
Over 48,000 complaints about potholes have been made nationally in the past three years.
More than 14,000 of those were logged with Cork County and City Councils.
That’s almost three times more than anywhere else.
The next county closest in complaints is Dublin, with around 5,000, followed by Kerry, Limerick and then Meath.
People in Kildare complained the least, followed by Leitrim and Carlow.
Nationally, the amount local authorities pay out in pothole damages each year has more than doubled since 2022 - with almost one million euro over the past three years.
Kerry County Council – Pothole and Road Maintenance Summary
Annual Summary
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pothole complaints | 1,080 | 1,714 | 1,609 | 4,403 |
| Pothole damage claims | 81 | 113 | 59 | 253 |
| Claims settled | 23 | 39 | 12 | 74 |
| Damage payouts (€) | 4,983 | 10,697 | 2,697 | 18,377 |
| Road maintenance expenditure (€) | 43,414,695 | 42,607,089 | 45,663,679 | 131,685,463 |
Complaints Per Capita
| County | Complaints | Population (2022) | Per 1,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry | 4,403 | 156,458 | 28.15 |
Payouts Per Capita
| County | Payout Total (€) | Population (2022) | Per 1,000 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry | 18,377 | 156,458 | 118 |
7-Year Pothole Damage Claims
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry County Council | 115 | 58 | 64 | 54 | 81 | 113 | 59 | 544 |
7-Year Pothole Claims Settled
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry County Council | 26 | 13 | 21 | 17 | 23 | 39 | 12 | 151 |
7-Year Pothole Damage Payouts (€)
| Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kerry County Council | 5,257 | 2,707 | 6,306 | 6,068 | 4,983 | 10,697 | 2,697 | 38,715 |
