Northern Ireland’s drivers have been awarded almost £21m in road claim compensation over the past five years, with Belfast topping the league table.
Almost 20,000 public liability claims for potholes and road defects were made between April 2020 and the end of March 2025, costing Stormont £20.6m in payouts, says Northern Ireland World.
In 2024/25, the value of claims settled by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) amounted to £5.1m – more than double the amount paid out five years ago (£2m).
While personal injury claims made up just 14 per cent of the 4,696 claims received last year, they accounted for about 76% of the total compensation awarded (£3.9m). vehicle damage compensation last year amounted to £1.1m, a rise of 15% on 2023/24. A further £122k was awarded in property damage – a dramatic year-on-year increase of 97%.
In addition to the £20.6m in compensation over five years, the NI Executive spent a further £12.1m on various legal costs and medical fees, taking the total cost of road claims since 2020 to £32.7m.
(Pic: Yay Images)