Potholes-a-plenty as 111,000 are reported last year
MORE than 111,000 potholes were reported to councils in Scotland last year, boasting a combined depth of more than four kilometres – around 25 times deeper than the English Channel.
Figures show Fife has the biggest pothole problem, with 21,920 reported across the local authority area, while £13,153 has been splashed out on compensation for drivers.
Meanwhile, Glasgow spent £26,236 on compensation and more than £1 million on repairs, with 20,172 reported potholes.
The latest data was compiled by Confused.com following a series of Freedom of Information requests.
It shows 905,172 potholes were reported across the UK in 2017/18. Using the minimum depth required for a road defect to be considered a pothole, these would boast a combined depth of more than 33km – three times that of the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean.
Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said the data showed “just how deep Scotland’s pothole problem goes – a problem that has caused councils to pay out £272,000 in compensation for pothole damage to vehicles in the last year alone”.
She said: “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 added: “The number of potholes reported in the UK has increased by two per cent in the last year, and it’s a battle councils continue to fight.
“If motorists come across a pothole they should report it to their local authority before it gets any worse.”
Scottish Tory transport spokesman Jamie Greene said: “This shows again that Scots are driving and cycling on roads that are dangerous and deteriorating.
“The Scottish Conservatives have committed to a
£100 million pothole fund that would enable local authorities to access the funds they need to fix our roads.
“The SNP’S failure to fix our roads is damaging our economy, endangering our road users and the potholes are only getting bigger.”
More than two fifths (41%) of motorists in Scotland say they have had their car damaged by a pothole, according to Confused.com.
Bill Liddle, service manager at Fife Council, said it had provided “sustained capital investment in road conditions, with an extra £40m budget available for carriageway works over the last 10 years”.
He said: “In addition, the number of potholes in Fife has dropped from around 32,000 a year to 23,000. In the face of budget restrictions, this is a success story.
“The majority of potholes are actually reported by our own inspectors and most of those reported to us by the public will already have been identified and programmed for repair.”
He said the council aimed to repair potholes within five working days of a defect being reported.