Street gaps drive us to distraction

Almost 130,000 potholes are being reported to authorities in Scotland annually.

Most recent figures show that Scottish councils received more than 111,000 reports about the blights on our roads in 2017-18.

On top of this, we can reveal that during the same period a further 16,645 potholes were flagged to Transport Scotland on its motorways and A-roads.

It is estimated it will cost taxpayers £3 billion to fix the growing problem.

However, despite the staggering figures the chances of motorists claiming compensation for damaged vehicles remains low. Of the 1,575 pothole compensation claims made against Transport Scotland and its road operators during 2017-18, just

227 were successfully upheld – while councils paid out just £272,076, despite having thousands of claimants.

Motoring experts say the current claim procedures are unfair and confusing. People are required to first navigate a maze of bureaucracy to even find out who they should be complaining to.

Philip Gomm, spokesman for the RAC Foundation, said: “To Scottish drivers a road is a road. They shouldn’t have to worry about who manages it. Yet with so many vehicles being damaged by potholes, motorists increasingly need to deal with what often seems like the black hole of bureaucracy.”

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at consumer comparison website Confused.com, said the number of potholes reported in the UK was increasing by 2% a year.

“Re-claiming the costs for pothole damage can be confusing for drivers. Many don’t know if it’s best to claim from your insurer, or from the council,” she said.