Edinburgh pet pooch used to illustrate state of potholed roads in the city

Edinburgh City Council has been called out for the state of Clermiston’s roads by a local councillor who has claimed they resemble “a dog’s breakfast.”

The Parkgrove pooch showing the extent of pothole damage

Mark Brown, a Conservative councillor for the area, has said the council must look towards more permanent fixes for the pothole problem in Clermiston.

And to illustrate the state of road surfaces in the area councillor Brown shared a picture of a pooch inside a pothole at Parkgrove Terrace.

He said: “What we are looking for is the council to change their strategy for repairing roads because clearly the system in place is not fit for purpose. The conservatives within the council have continuously advocated for the council to look towards companies such as Road Mole or JCB who have offered their services and have had great success in fixing potholes elsewhere in the UK.

“Back when I first ran for council in 2011/12 potholes in the area were a serious issue but everytime it is raised the council cite that Clermiston is not a priority area.

“The administration has to look beyond temporary repairs that often breakdown very easily. They must look to get it right first time. It is a false economy to continually go back with temporary repairs -the Einstein quote on insanity springs to mind.

“It is laughable that images being beamed back by the Nasa Mars Rover show clearer surfaces than what you can find in certain streets around Parkgrove.”

It is understood that several opposition councillors have raised the issue with the council and had advocated for greater resources to deal with the state of Edinburgh’s roads in the latest budget.

A Council spokesperson said: “We carry out regular, planned inspections across the city, as well as responding to enquiries about potholes and other road defects from members of the public.

“Freezing temperatures and snowy weather like we’ve seen recently really impact on our roads surfaces, causing asphalt to crack much faster than normal. Our roads services team are working hard to get round the city to address this as quickly as possible. They need to prioritise resources to most-needed repairs but we would encourage anyone to report potholes on our website.”

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