Councils have paid out more than £43m in compensation claims related to potholes in the last five years, according to cycling campaign group Cycling UK. The data was gathered from 156 highway authorities after a Freedom of Information request was made.
The average payout was £841 for drivers and £10,963 for cyclists. The huge difference in average payouts between the groups is thought to be down to the cost of personal injury claims made by cyclists - which are usually much higher than the property damage claims often made by motorists.
Claims were accepted from 30,893 drivers and 670 cyclists.
The average local authority payout was £277,707.
While the number of incidents may seem high, Cycling UK believes many more go unreported.
According to one survey conducted by BBC Radio 5 Live and Cycling Weekly, of the 5,000 cyclists polled, just 36 per cent of those who had a pothole-related accident actually told the council.
600 of the 5,000 respondents said they had to take time off work as a result of their injuries.
The complicated complaint form is thought to be a chief reason why more people do not tell councils about injuries sustained from hitting damaged roads.
Sam Jones, Cycling UK's senior campaigns officer said: "Cycling UK's research reveals only a glimpse of pothole Britain's human cost. It's clear more people are being killed and seriously injured while out cycling each year due to years of persistent under investment in our rotting local road networks.
"The Government should concentrate on fixing the roads we have first before building new ones. Councils need to provide enough funding to adopt long-term plans for road maintenance, rather than pursuing a policy of patching up streets only as they become dangerous.
"With the Government looking to encourage more and safer cycling, then the UK's road surfaces need to be safe enough for people to cycle on."
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