Did you know that you can claim for damage caused to your car by a pothole?

In 2016, more than one million potholes were recorded on UK roads, which caused more than £3m in damage to vehicles.

And in recent weeks, drivers across Greater Manchester have inundated our news desk with complaints about the state of our roads.

Many councils have since told us of bold plans to tackle the issue - but did you know that you can also claim for damage to your car?

If you hit a pothole that the council should have fixed, either because it had been reported or they had noted it during inspections, then you are within your rights to seek compensation.

In 2016, more than one million potholes were recorded on UK roads, which caused more than £3 million in damage to vehicles

Bear in mind that potholes that are 40mm or below - the equivalent of two 20p pieces stacked on top of each other - don’t qualify according to Government guidelines introduced in October 2016.

Here’s what you need to know, according to the AA:

If you hit a pothole:

Pull over as soon as is safe and check for any damage to your wheels and tyres

If no damage is obvious straight away, keep an eye out for vibrations, your steering wheel not centring properly or the car pulling to one side.

If this is happening, get your car checked by a garage or tyre specialist as soon as possible as ignoring tracking or steering damage can cost you - and be dangerous.

Also, get your mechanic to put in writing his findings.

Take notes. The AA warns not to rely on your memory

They suggest returning to the scene, taking notes, making sketches and - if safe to do so - taking photographs of the pothole in question.

It’s a good idea to include a familiar object in your photo, like a shoe or drinks can, to give a sense of scale.

Make a note of exactly where the pothole was – the road name, town etc and its position in the road – as well as the contact details of anyone who saw what happened.

Report the pothole

Whether you intend to make a claim for damage or not, your first priority should be to report the pothole to your council.

They can then arrange repairs and prevent any other similar incidents.

Motorways and A roads in the UK are managed by Highways England so you would need to write to them.

Repair your car

Shop around for several quotes for repair work and keep all quotes, invoices and receipts. Also take copies to support your claim.

Make your claim

Write to the council responsible for the road with all the details you’ve collected, including copies of your quotes, invoices and receipts.

If your vehicle already had a problem, and the pothole made it worse, you can still claim but you won’t get the full repair costs back.

It’s important to note that an authority doesn’t have to pay out if it didn’t know about the pothole beforehand, ie, it hadn’t been reported to them or they hadn’t noticed it.

Didn’t work? You can appeal

By law, councils have to carry out road inspections and repairs. So if your claim’s rejected you can even ask to see details of the council’s road inspection reports and attempt a reclaim.

A damage caused to a tyre by a pothole

Here are the contact details for Greater Manchester councils:

Manchester City Council

Environment On Call, PO Box 204, Manchester

M12 5WL

Tel: 0161 234 5004

Email: contact@manchester.gov.uk

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council

Highways Management Division, Environment Department, 4th floor, Wellsprings Civic Centre, Bolton

BL1 1US

Tel: 01204 336600

Email: streetcare@bolton.gov.uk

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

Customer Services, Environment & Development Services, Lester House, 21 Broad Street , Bury

BL9 0AW

Tel: 0161 253 5353

Fax: 0161 253 5851

Email: customerserviceseds@bury.gov.uk

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council

Enviromental Services, Oldham Council, Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham

OL1 1UG

Tel: 0161 9114325

Email: highways@oldham.gov.uk

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council

Network Development - Highways & Engineering Services, Electric House, Smith Street, Rochdale

OL16 1YP

Tel: 01706 864522/864644

Email: engineers@rochdale.gov.uk

Salford City Council

Engineering & Highways, Salford Civic Centre, Chorley Road, Swinton, SALFORD

M27 5BW

Tel: 0161 909 6505

Email: emergency.services@salford.gov.uk

Website: www.salford.gov.uk

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council

Highways Development Team. Stockport Town Hall, Edward Street , Stockport

SK1 3XE

Tel: 0800 068 4996

Email: streetscene@stockport.gov.uk

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Council Offices, Wellington Road, Ashton-under-Lyne

OL6 6DL

Tel: 0161 342 8355

Email: envform@tameside.gov.uk

Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council

Highway Services PO Box 114 Bridgewater House Manchester Road Carrington

M31 4WS

Tel: 0161 912 2000

Email: access.trafford@trafford.gov.uk

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

Department of Engineering Services, Highway Maintenance Section, Civic Buildings, New Market Street, Wigan

WN1 1RP

Tel: 01942 404347

Email: highway.maintenance@wiganmbc.gov.uk