MP Expresses Concern As Local Council Pays Out Thousands For Pothole Damage
Written by author on February 26, 2014
Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell has expressed anger and concern after figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives revealed that Dumfries and Galloway Council have paid out over £80,000 in compensation to drivers whose cars have been damaged by potholes. The pay-out is more than three times that of neighbouring Scottish Borders Council who paid out £23,000 over the same time frame. The pay outs by the local authority cover repairs such as burst tyres and suspension damage caused by problems on the regions roads.
The local MP believes that the figures which cover the last 5 years are only the tip of the iceberg and that the cost of damage to local motorists is likely to be much higher. Whilst support the compensation scheme Mr Mundell argues that the figures once again highlight the poor state of repair on the regions roads and is calling on the Council to invest more money and resources on repairs.
Mr Mundell has long campaigned on road related issues and his office and surgeries are inundated with complaints from local residents who share his concerns about the growing number of potholes on both important local routes and in residential areas. He believes that for too long local people have had to bear the cost of poor roads management.
Commenting David Mundell MP said: “The state of local roads both in our towns and in the countryside are a matter of real concern for the regions motorists. This issue is raised time and time again with me as the local MP and remains a source of great irritation to drivers. We need to make sure surfaces are kept in good condition, because investment in that would very much reduce the cash paid out in future. A number of people locally will, like me look at these figures and recognise that if this money had been spent on roads maintenance we could have avoided paying it out in compensation.”
“The most worrying thing is that the true damage caused by potholes is likely to be far higher than this, because many drivers can’t face going through the official channels to try and recoup the money paid for repairs.”
He added: “We need to end this vicious cycle and invest more money in roads repairs now, because by putting off these works the Council are only storing up more problems and costs for later. This is an issue I have campaigned on for a long time and it is not about party politics but about a change of mind-set for all local councillors because only when the overall standard of roads are improved will we see these compensation figures come down.”
