Official council data obtained under a Freedom of Information request showed a 79% increase in compensation claims in the past financial year from motorists as a result of pothole damage.
Breakdown service Britannia Rescue, which gathered the figures, said potholes take up a total area of 295 square miles (764 square km) in Britain - more than twice the size of the Isle of Wight.
It described the situation as a "pothole epidemic" and claimed road maintenance in the UK is severely underfunded
