A Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives has revealed that Scottish Councils have paid out £1.8m in compensation over the last five years to car owners for damage to vehicles caused by potholes.
Between the years 2006 to 2011 Scottish Councils paid £1,738,966 to motorists. Glasgow City Council paid out the most, with their pothole compensation totalling £355,530.
The amount of compensation Glasgow City Council has paid to motorists has risen sharply over recent years. In 2010 to 2011, the council paid £197,000 in compensation compared to 2007-08, when they paid a mere £20,000.
The amount of compensation Edinburgh City Council has paid out to motorists for pothole damage is also high. Over the five year period, the council has paid a total of £188,331. Unlike Glasgow City Council, however, the figure reduces significantly in 2010 to 2011, during which time the council paid a total of £21,964. In contrast, during the years 2006 to 2007, the council paid out £78,000 in pothole compensation.
South Lanarkshire Council, together with Aberdeen Council, also paid out a large amount of pothole compensation over the five years, with totals of £215,473 and £114,780 respectively.
Western Isle Council made no pothole compensation payments during the same period and figures were not available for Renfrewshire Council.
Jackson Carlaw, Scottish Tories’ MSP said: “This is an astonishing level of compensation paid out by local authorities in Scotland to motorists and the £2 million bill is just the tip of the iceberg, as there will be many motorists who won’t have claimed for damage from their local authorities.”
