Wednesday February 7th 2024
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Scottish Borders Council has spent £9.6m on pothole repairs over the last three years, more than any other UK local authority.
Between 2020/21, the council spent £2,504,308, followed by £3,273,217 between 2021/22 and £3,822,568 between 2022/23.
The total amounts to a whopping £9,600,093 in the last three years.
The findings are a result of Freedom of Information requests submitted to all UK councils by LegalExpert.co.uk, which offers help, support and advice for anyone who has suffered injuries or damages to properties caused by potholes.
LegalExpert also revealed that SBC has paid out a total of £17,389.53 in compensation claims relating to vehicle damage caused by potholes since 2022.
A Scottish Borders Council spokesperson said: “These figures include both planned and reactive road maintenance works associated with pothole repairs.
“Over the same period, a total of £39.4m has been spent by the council on all elements of roads maintenance as part of our ongoing investment into our 3,000km-long road network – the fourth largest local authority road network in Scotland.”
Potholes which are not repaired pose a “serious danger” to all road users, according to the RAC.
The automotive company revealed it attended a record number of pothole-hole-related repairs in 2023 – the highest recorded figures in seven years between October and December.
Services were required for 30,000 pothole incidents – equating to 80 breakdowns a day – for faults including broken suspension springs, damaged shock absorbers and distorted wheels.
What’s more, the problem is likely to get worse as we head into ‘pothole season’ between January and March.
RAC head of policy, Simon Williams, said: “Local councils have been cash-strapped for years due to lower road maintenance budgets, causing roads across the country to fall into disrepair and leaving drivers fighting for compensation when their vehicles are inevitably damaged.”
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