More than 400,000 potholes reported since 2021, figures reveal

More than 400,000 potholes have been reported to Scotland’s councils since 2021, figures have revealed.

The Scottish Conservatives, which sourced the data through a series of freedom of information requests, said it showed Scotland’s roads were “crumbling”.

The data, issued by 31 out of the nation’s 32 local authorities, showed there were more than 413,183 potholes recorded over the last four years.

The real figure is likely to be higher as one council did not provide any figures while another did not pass on the number of potholes recorded in 2024-25.

The total number of potholes has continued to rise, with 127,352 reported in 2023-24 – higher than the year before at 106,853.

Edinburgh remains the “pothole capital” with nearly 31,000 potholes recorded in the current financial year.

Overall, there have already been more than 70,000 potholes recorded in the 2024-25 period.

Sue Webber, the Tory transport spokeswoman, said the “astonishing” number was down to the SNP’s “savage cuts” to local authority budgets.

She said: “With over 400,000 potholes recorded in the last few years, motorists are paying a heavy price for the SNP’s failures to fix our pothole-ridden roads up and down the country.

“The buck stops firmly with the SNP. Their savage and sustained cuts to council budgets mean they simply do not have the resources to repair these potholes and the situation is only worsening year after year.

“The condition of many roads in Scotland are so appalling that they are not fit for purpose. This week coincided with National Pothole Day and these figures must be an urgent wake-up call for SNP ministers to act.

“They must finally give councils a fair funding deal and stop motorists from having to dodge potholes every time they drive on our roads.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is up to individual local authorities to manage their day-to-day, decision-making and allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

“We recognise the crucial role councils and their employees play in communities across Scotland. That’s why the Scottish Government has made available over £14 billion to local councils this year, a real terms increase of 4.3%, with a record £15bn for 2025-26 set out in the Scottish Budget, a real terms increase of 4.7%.”