The M8 near Bathgate had to close after a ‘massive’ pothole caused chaos - your views online

"There are hardly any roads that have no potholes”

Motorway potholes

The M8 near Bathgate had to close after a ‘massive’ pothole caused chaos, damaging at least 17 cars before the road was closed

Jon Clark

Hey, don’t sweat if your car is really badly damaged by the appalling roads in and around Edinburgh. Many of these are no better than farm tracks, but there’s always the trams you can jump on. They won’t take you anywhere you want to go, but the council really recommend them instead of your car. So fill your boots! Lesley MacInnes and her colleagues don’t give a stuff about fixing the roads used by the majority of the population, they are far too busy with trams and “car hating” that nothing else matters to them at all. They’ve spent the money needed to fix the roads on their own pet projects - trams, cycling, tourist attractions and students.

George Bathgate

How bad do the roads have to get before the roads department will take it seriously? How many vehicles have to be damaged and motorcyclists/cyclists injured? There are hardly any roads that have no potholes. All the vehicle owners have to pay road tax. Although most of it goes to Westminster it’s still not an excuse for this. Every time you contact the relevant authorities you are always fobbed off with “we will be sorting the roads in the next budget”. With this pandemic it will be put on hold once again. How much longer can this wait?

Kevin Connolly

This is a major arterial route – why was this pothole not picked up and repaired before all this damage occurred? Does the road contractor not do regular inspections or do they rely on incidents such as this to make them aware of a poor road surface?

Mark Wood

Surely this cannot come as a surprise that our roads are now faulty and not fit for use. Another failing by the Scottish government - I wonder what excuse they will come up with this time.

Davie Chalmers

I have served overseas and have genuinely seen and driven on better maintained roads in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kenya. Our country, more so Edinburgh, is an absolute embarrassment.

Jamil Ibrahim

Edinburgh council is too busy making roads narrow and closing roads. Let’s face reality, they are too busy for potholes.

Stacey Downie

There also a pothole on A1 not far from joining road from the Musselburgh side going to Wallyford.

Andrew Deans

The state of the roads in West Lothian and south Lanarkshire are ridiculous. I’m paranoid that I’m going to ruin wheels. I’ve just put a car through an MOT and it required bushes and drop links within a year, all caused by these roads.

Lisa Smith

Don’t expect the council to pay for any damage, as I had positive proof from a garage of damage and the council stated that as “they had planned repairs scheduled”, I didn’t have a case! The claim was under £60! They actually pay for a private solicitor to deal with claims! Can you imagine how much that service is costing the council? They are saying they need to save millions - well there is an absolute waste of money right there. Disgusted!

James Hunter

I drove by before the police closed the lane off. You didn’t notice it until the last minute and had to swerve. To call it a pothole isn’t really accurate. No wonder there were so many cars with blown tyres and damaged alloys.

David Messaoud

The roads are bad not just on the M8, I get potholes all over Edinburgh!

Craig Marshall

Your bushes on your car used to last a good while. Not now! Battered to bits rattling over holes and ruts. A lot of the damage is done by HGV and buses ripping up roads.

Lucien Romano

If Amey have stopped repairing potholes on the M8, then a tram line, cycle lanes and miles and miles of pointless bollards can’t be far behind.

Graham Mitchell

The roads in many parts of the country are the same and in particular Fife. Plenty of money for Spaces for People and building cycle tracks, for which the cyclists contribute nothing.

Brian Monaghan

I've paid out over a grand in three months to repairs on my van related to the state of the roads in the city. its a disgrace and an embarrassment for what claims to be a major city.

Tracey Little

More checks should have been done, considering the amount of salt that’s been put down recently too.

Stephen Kilpatrick

This is a hot subject at this time of year. Edinburgh city is littered with new potholes appearing every day.

Marc Walker

That pot hole has been there for months - they just keep filling it up.