In the past five years 809 motorists and pedestrians have made claims against the county council after damage or injuries caused by the menace.

The council paid out on 260 claims between 2005 and 2009. But 118 cases are still being disputed.

And official figures, released under the Freedom of Information Act, show there are currently close to 5,000 potholes across Lancashire, 342 of them in Preston.

Motoring campaigners said the figures were evidence that the Government needs to plough more cash into helping councils tackle the problem.

Hugh Bladon, of campaign group the Association of British Drivers (ABD), said: "Considering how much money the Government is already taking off the motorist in tax we should have the best roads in Europe and we have got some of the worst.

"The other trouble is councils tend to just patch these holes up instead of ripping up the road and starting again. It might be more expensive in the short term but it is not in the long run."

Last month the Evening Post revealed Lancashire drivers were shelling out more than £28,000 a day for repairs because of potholes.

Earlier this year Lancashire County Council admitted it would never be able to fix all its crumbling roads and pavements because it would cost £153m – around £100 for every person living in the county.

John Thorp, asset group manager at Lancashire County Council, said: "The council is working hard to repair and resurface many roads across the county. We invested an additional £9 million in highway schemes in 2009-10, including road resurfacing and fixing potholes, and we are continuing to build on that work this year.

"The council is also receiving an extra £1.9 million from the Government this year for repairing the roads damaged by the severe winter, to add to the £24 million committed to the roads by the county council to 2013.

"We carry out regular inspections of the highway network to ensure any faults and potholes are identified and dealt with, and our policy is to target the worst holes and faults as the top priority.

"In parallel, we are also introducing innovative pothole repair techniques to both improve the quality of the repair."