Pothole is the new whiplash, says Keoghs

Keoghs has warned that fraudsters are increasingly turning to false pothole injury claims as the scrutiny on false whiplash cases increases.

The defendant law firm has reported a spike in the number of pothole claims that insurers has passed onto it to investigate over the last 12 months, including several claims being submitted at identical times for the same pothole, leading it to set up a separate casualty and liability investigations team.

“We are seeing a substantial rise in pothole claims to the extent that it might be organised. Where before it might have been opportunistic, it does now seem to be leaning towards an organised approach,” Keoghs director of fraud rings Ruth Needham told Insurance Times.

“Historically, casualty has traditionally been seen as an area where claims are negotiated with the aim of getting rid of them quickly and where fraud is suspected, it has tended to be opportunistic," added Needham.

Now, however, she said that evidence was pointing to many pothole claims coming from organised fraud circles.

Mark Dugdale