East Ayrshire has been plagued by almost 6500 potholes since 2021 according to recent Freedom of Information requests.
Local MSP Brian Whittle has described the numbers as “frustrating” and laid the blame for crumbling roads at the feet of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Conservative MSP was commenting in response to figures his party obtained showing over 400,000 potholes had been reported across Scotland since 2021 including 6456 in East Ayrshire, 4924 in South Ayrshire and 7018 in North Ayrshire. The true Scotland-wide figure is likely to be higher as not all councils provided data and the list only includes potholes that the public have reported.
Brian believes the state of the roads is symptomatic of the Scottish Government’s lack of support for local authorities and lack of interest in the difficulties faced by motorists and other road users as a result.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“We all know that roads across Ayrshire and beyond are in a terrible state. Council’s do their best to patch what they can but more often than not they’re now patching the patches. Years of the SNP cutting funds to councils already facing rising costs has left them struggling to find the money to properly resurface even a fraction of the roads in need. Potholes are easily one of the most common issues people contact me about and a growing number are suffering serious damage to tyres and wheels from bigger, deeper potholes that haven’t been repaired. Drivers and cyclists are finding it harder to dodge every pothole on the road and they’re quite literally paying the price for it. Councils in Scotland deserve a fair funding deal that will let them put more money into improving roads to give everyone a smoother ride.”
