Councils pay £228,000 in pothole compensation

POTHOLES have cost Scottish councils £228,000 in compensation claims in just one year – equivalent to over £600 a day.

Potholes can be a nightmare for road users. Picture: Ian Georgeson

In Edinburgh, the city council paid out £17,300 to 44 claimants in 2013-14.

But Professor Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, which obtained the data through freedom of information, said the figures were likely to be “the tip of the iceberg”.

He said: “Many drivers will be put off by the time involved in claiming and many councils do their best to deter claimants coming forward. The fundamental problem lies with central ­government. ­They are simply not giving councils enough money to keep their road networks up to scratch.”