More than £4m paid out for pothole damage since 2019, figures show

New figures show that more than £4m has been paid out by local authorities for pothole damage since 2019.

Freedom of information data obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed a total of £4,265,007.54 has been paid out in compensation for pothole claims by the 28 council areas that responded over the last four years.

In that period, the annual figures have increased from £676,932 in 2019/20 to £870,228.92 in 2023/24.

In 2023/24 alone, Dumfries & Galloway Council paid out £326,000 in pothole compensation, while Glasgow paid out almost £200,000.

In the same year, Borders, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire all paid out more than £62,000.

The FOI request also asked for the longest time it took to repair a pothole.

Figures showed that in 2023/24, Moray recorded the longest period of waiting (857 days), and Falkirk recorded the next longest (475 days).

Willie Rennie said: “Under this SNP government, potholes have become a plague on our roads; it’s a lose-lose situation for everyone involved.

“As well as causing property damage and personal injury for motorists, it also means that cash-strapped councils are having to shell out millions of pounds in payouts.

“For many years, the SNP have slashed funding for local authorities and left communities to muddle through. Despite payouts for potholes rising year on year, the SNP haven’t shown any sign of changing course and finally supporting councils.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats have set out plans to fix Scotland’s crumbling infrastructure, including cavernous potholes. That starts by better supporting local authorities and giving them the fair deal they deserve.”

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 this year the Scottish Government has made available over £14bn to local councils – a real-terms increase of 2.5% compared with the previous year.”