SUFFOLK: Could this be the worst pothole in the whole of Suffolk?

It may seem unlikely but the road which contains this mini crater has caused the biggest dent in county council coffers.

Holly Lane in the village of Little Bealings just outside of Ipswich was responsible for the highest amount of compensation paid out to motorists for pothole-related damage to vehicles in 2010.

It was also named as the road with the largest single compensation pay-out during the same period.

The information has come to light following a Freedom of Information request to Suffolk County Council as part of The Evening Star’s on-going Spot the Pot campaign.

Figures show the council forked out a hefty �2,489 to settle a single compensation claim in Holly Lane last year.

Several residents in the village today claimed they were unaware of the road’s infamous record – but were aware of the problem.

James Peters, who has lived in the area for several years, said: “The road can be quite bumpy but I’ve never had any damage caused to my car while driving down it.

“I’m quite surprised to hear it has caused this amount of damage. But quite often it’s rural roads that don’t get repaired so quickly.”

A spokesman for Suffolk County Council said: “Repairs were carried out to potholes in Holly Lane following the harsh winter of 2009/10. However, our inspectors have been made aware of this information and will check the road in the coming days to see if further repairs are needed.”

The news comes after we revealed that the amount of money Suffolk County Council has paid to motorists for damage to their vehicles has seen a seven-fold increase in the last five years.

In 2006, the council paid out �2,850 but last year the figure had soared to �20,101 and was as high as �38,288 in 2009.

The number of claims for pay-outs also rose dramatically from just 18 in 2006 to 378 last year.

- Do you know of a worse pothole? If so, let us know by leaving a comment below!