JUST 29 per cent of compensation claims to Essex County Council in respect of pothole damage to cars have been successful in the past three years.
Between April 2009 and April 2012, the authority settled 1,502 claims totalling £501,494.66.
During the same period, the council rejected 3,747 claims, paying out nothing.
At the time of going to press, a further 369 claims remained open.
The figures were uncovered by Liberal Democrat county councillor David Kendall and come in the wake of the council spending £11 million in pothole repairs across Essex since June.
Mr Kendall, who represents Brentwood South, also said that the council had only spent £7.88 million on pothole repairs – including £1.444 million in Brentwood – over the same period.
He said: "These figures show the true scale of the problem and prove that Essex County Council is still struggling to repair roads after years of neglect by the Conservative administration.
"Whilst I am pleased to see that 1,500 residents have received some compensation from the council, I am concerned that there are thousands more who have made claims over the same period and will probably end up getting nothing.
"These staggering figures may have forced the Tories into investing £11 million in emergency pothole repairs just eight months before the county council elections but for many long suffering Essex motorists the repairs will be too little, too late."
A county council spokesman said: "We are determined to fix as many as possible and ensure that they don't return in future.
"It is disappointing to have to compensate motorists for damage to their vehicles, but it should also be taken into account that Essex has one of the largest road networks in the country.
"All compensation claims received are investigated fully and costs are only paid if the council feels it is liable."
Tory councillor Derrick Louis, county council portfolio holder for highways and transportation, was less diplomatic.
He said: "Cllr Kendall clearly has no aptitude for county council finances and bearing in mind that the last time the Lib Dems were in control at County Hall they nearly bankrupted it, this should be of no surprise.
"The figures he is quoting don't add up, with the actual total being £25.5 million and not £7.88 million.
"He also is only referring to the amount of money spent 'fixing' potholes, not the total spent on road maintenance, which over the previous three years is in fact £94.5 million not £7.88 million."
He added: "Essex County Council put an additional £11 million into road maintenance after the unprecedented weather last year; fixing nearly 40,000 potholes since June."
