£3.5m bill for pothole compensation

Mar 15 2013

Councils have paid out more than £3.5 million compensation to motorists in the last five years for damage caused by potholes, figures have revealed.

More than half of that cash has been paid out by Scotland's largest local authority, Glasgow City Council.

Compensation payments to drivers by the council have totalled £1,821,576 over the period 2007-08 to 2011-12, according to figures which were obtained by the Conservatives using freedom of information.

Across Scotland, drivers have received £3,558,201 from local councils to compensate for damage caused by potholes over the five years. The amount is increasing, with £1,232,908 paid out last year, compared to just £342,476 in 2007-08.

It comes after a survey of members of the AA motoring organisation found those in Scotland were most likely to report pothole damage to their cars, with 44% saying their vehicles had suffered damage in the last two years.

The Tories are now urging the SNP administration to prioritise work to repair road surfaces.

Conservative transport spokesman Alex Johnstone said: "Potholes are a real problem across Scotland and you can see this from these figures. If the SNP dropped its anti-car agenda and actually tried to improve the roads, it could help save the councils some money in future."

While Glasgow City Council paid out more than £1.8 million over the five-year period, Orkney Islands Council compensation payments totalled just £244.

But Mr Johnstone said many drivers could have had their cars damaged by potholes but not claimed cash back from the relevant council.

He said: "No-one wants to sit down and take action against the council because of damage the roads have done to their car, because it's a lengthy and complex process. But times are tight and a trip to the garage is rarely a cheap one. These figures won't even include the many people who simply can't face the red tape and pay for the damage themselves."