ESSEX has been branded the pothole capital of the East of England with the depth of the county’s potholes measuring 871 metres - more than three-times that of the UK’s deepest cave.

New Freedom of Information data obtained by price comparison website Confused.com helped rank the top five local authority areas in the east with the biggest pothole problem.

Essex topped the list, followed by Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedford and then Luton.

But the county council called the study “misleading” for excluding the size of each area and the length of their road network.

Deputy leader of Essex County Council Kevin Bentley said: “Roads in Essex are in comparatively good condition and our record in recent years shows we are bucking the national trend with a 45 per cent decrease over the last two years in the number of potholes reported to us.

“Essex is about twice the size of Suffolk, has twice the population of Norfolk and has far busier roads, not least because of our large urban areas and our proximity to London.

“Neither Luton nor Bedford have the thousands of miles of rural roads found here.”

Brentwood Live:

Infrastructure boss Kevin Bentley

Confused.com’s figures indicated there had been 17,424 potholes reported by Essex motorists, excluding Southend and Thurrock, in the 2017/18 financial year - a few hundred less than Suffolk which topped the regional ranking with 17,851.

Mr Bentley added: “Essex traffic also includes a higher proportion of HGVs which do most of the damage to road surfaces and we have more utility works, not least due to a fast-growing population.

“Crews in Essex fixed nearly 19,000 potholes in 2018 and with extra investment continuing from late October, our repair rates are increasing.”

Councils also revealed how much money they spent compensating car owners whose vehicles had been damaged.

This sum was just £26,286 in Essex, compared to £76,079 in Suffolk and £71,265 in Norfolk.

Levi Harris, of Colchester Budget Skips, has vowed to appeal against Essex Highways’ decision not to compensate him £1,800 when a pothole wrote off his lorry.

He said: “Not only did I lose work, but I’ve also lost out financially because of the cost of getting my truck fixed.

“I believe Essex County Council should pay out in this situation because there is a duty of care to look after our roads, which they’ve neglected to do.”

“It has got to a point where the roads around Essex just aren’t safe.

“I’ve seen potholes on the A12 where roads users are travelling at 70 mph. If someone were to hit them at a bad angle, it could have devastating consequences.”

The letter Levi received after his bump in Berechurch Road, he claimed said “regardless of any appeal action, it would be unsuccessful”.

Essex Highways’ own website warns people 90 per cent of its claims are rejected.

Levi added: “Given the amount of travelling I do daily, I see potholes everywhere. Some are really bad.

“It makes me wonder what the real purpose of road tax is.”

Within the county more than £4 million was spent repairing potholes - the highest of the five local authority areas with the deepest pothole problem.

To compare the extent of the nation’s potholes, click here.