THE A56 is Trafford’s most complained about road for potholes – with an increase in the number of claims for damage.

A report released by the Federation of Small Businesses on Wednesday revealed the number of claims made by drivers for damage to their vehicles after hitting potholes in Trafford has risen.

For 2014/15, 86 people made a claim against the council, seven more than the previous year. A total of 34 of these complaints were successful – with the council forking out £9,483.08 – compared to 29 upheld claims in 2013/14, with a £10,695.55 payout.

However, an FOI request also revealed a significant reduction in potholes complaints. In 2013/14, 3,888 requests for road repairs were made, compared to 2,132 in 2014/15 – the complaint rate slashed by 45 per cent.

Robert Downes, development manager for Manchester and North Cheshire for Federation of Small Businesses, said: “The number of ‘pothole’ complaints has risen slightly and there were more claims made for damage to motor vehicles caused by badly maintained roads. If this was a school report you might say it’s a case of ‘could do better’.

“It’s no surprise either that the A56 remains the most complained about road in the borough. It spans the region from north to south and is a major arterial route in and out of Manchester and also offers motorway access to the M56 and M60.

“The key point to this research though, is that business owners on the whole pay significant amounts in business rates and, quite rightly, expect the local roads to be of sound repair.

"Most businesses rely in some way on roads to trade successfully, whether it’s for their staff to get in to work on time, or customers to come and spend with them. Having to navigate a minefield of potholes which can damage cars and also be hazardous for pedestrians doesn’t help.”

According to the figures, Trafford Council forked out £1.119m on repairing the borough’s roads in 2014/15.

A spokesperson for One Trafford said: “The One Trafford partnership is investing in improving and maintaining more than 800km of roads across the borough. In the last twelve months we have delivered over 66,000 sqm of preventative surfacing, resurfaced more than 45,000 sqm of highway and repaired in excess of 6,700 highway defects and potholes.

“We’re now using a new jet patcher to speed up pothole repairs; enabling local residents and businesses to return to the streets in a shorter period of time.

"Supporting this highway investment over 7500 new and energy efficient LED street lights have been installed across the borough. We know how vital our roads are and are committed to doing all we can to continue to improve the condition of the network.”