Pothole reports on Ayrshire's roads double in three years
Ayrshire motorists are reporting more potholes on the roads each year.
Figures released under Freedom of Information laws revealed that the number of reports of potholes made to Ayrshire’s councils have more than doubled since 2021-22.
In each of the last three years, the number of potholes reported has increased from 3,722 in 2021-22 to 4,370 in 2022-23 and 7,537 in 2023-24.
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That trend looks set to continue as 2,769 potholes had been reported prior to the winter months which normally see an increase in reports due to the weather.
East Ayrshire had the most potholes reported in the county in 2021-22 (1,248) and 2023-24 (3,124) while North Ayrshire saw the most reported potholes in 2022-23 (2,121).
South Ayrshire saw the lowest number of potholes reported in each year - 743 in 2021-22, 970 in 2022-23 and 2,149 in 2023-24.
Up to Autumn 2024, the total number of potholes recorded since 2021-22 in East Ayrshire was 6,456, South Ayrshire saw 4,924 and 7,018 were recorded in North Ayrshire.
A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said: “All local authorities are dealing with potholes and Ayrshire Roads Alliance resolves these on a risk-based approach in accordance with the Well Managed Infrastructure: A Code of Practice, working in tandem with East Ayrshire Council.
“The council records the number of fault reports received about potholes and these may not all be about individual potholes. They could, for example, relate to potholes at one or several locations on a road or several customers may report the same pothole(s).”
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We have a well-established set of guidelines that allows us to identify defects and prioritise these in terms of importance to public safety.
“People can report a road defect through our website or by calling our contact centre on 01294 310 000.”
An Ayrshire Roads Alliance spokesperson said: “Over the last five years, South Ayrshire Council has invested £37m in roads and road infrastructure. Due to the increasing severity of wet and windy weather, road conditions are being negatively impacted.
"All local authorities are dealing with potholes and Ayrshire Roads Alliance resolve these on a risk based approach in accordance with Well Managed Infrastructure A Code of Practice, working in tandem with South Ayrshire Council."
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