THE Welsh Government paid out a whopping £1.1 million last year to a person injured by a pothole.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act showed how many pothole-related claims had been made on government-managed roads in Wales in the past five years.

Dozens of people have put in claims for damaged vehicles or personal injuries in that time.

The number of claims being made have tapered off since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, but over the same time the amount of compensation the government has forked out has risen.

The Welsh Government, which maintains larger trunk roads nationwide through its highways agency, Traffic Wales, rejected most of the compensation claims it received, figures show.

But last year, a massive £1,188,565.25 was paid out to an anonymous claimant for a "pothole-caused personal injury".

The documents show the incident happened in 2018-19 but was paid out four years later.

This dwarfs the biggest payouts made in other recent years, the highest of which was for £3,500 for vehicle damage in 2020-21.

The figures show the Welsh Government settled 11 claims for pothole-related vehicle damage over the past five years, and a further two claims to personal injuries.

Over that time, the typical highest payout for vehicle damage claims was £1,077.

The government also paid out £100,000 in compensation for a pothole-related personal injury claim in 2021/22.

The areas of Wales where each pothole incident happened were not published.