Fife's pothole damage repair bill tops £15,000 in five years
Siew Peng Lee • Published 13 Jan 2012 08:30
4 Comments
WITH more than £15,000 paid out in pothole compensation, it's all gone potty for Fife Council.
A Freedom of Information request by the Scottish Conservatives has shown that the council paid out a total of £15,411 over the last five years to motorists whose vehicles had been damaged by potholes.
The figure formed part of a bill of nearly £1.8million footed by Scottish councils for pothole damage between 2006-07 and 2010-11.
Glasgow topped the list with pay-outs totalling £355,530, while the Western Isles had no pothole damage bill in five years.
The Press revealed in April last year that damage claims almost quadrupled over the last five years as car owners bore the brunt of the poor state of Fife's roads, with a total of 572 claims made since 2006-07.
West Fifers seeking pothole damages from the council are advised to submit it in writing, either by letter, email or by filling in a claim form. A photograph can be helpful.
Claims will only be paid if the council is deemed to be negligent, that is, if the council has not adhered to road policies and processes that are in place.
The public is also asked to report potholes so that the council can repair them.
Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay Tory councillor Dave Dempsey said, "The figure is quite low and I'm obviously pleased to see that Fife is not shelling out the amounts that Glasgow is.
"I think Fife Council are pretty good at the quick fixes and they could be good at the long-term fixes if they had the money.
"Fife could be doing more about the potholes, the roads need a heck of a lot of work, but it's a lack of money."
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
-
davie1
26 posts
Jan 13, 12:18
Report commentSo we spend 15K to repair damage caused by holes in the road and 22K to put bumps on them - I'm sure there is a lesson here for the council? Both cause extensive damage to cars so why dont we cut to the chase just fix the roads and save 7K in the process?
Recommend?
Yes 11
No 0
-
DannyAtkins
30 posts
Jan 13, 15:50
Report commentThe Council never adheres to the 'policies' they have put in place, so your chances of a successful claim are quite high. I would recommend anyone with damage caused by potholes put in a claim - maybe that will encourage them to get the finger out and repair some of the disgracefully dangerous roads we have in West Fife...... but I wouldn't hold my breath!
Recommend? Yes 10
No 1
-
SirSided
11 posts
Jan 18, 13:57
Report comment -
SirSided
11 posts
Jan 18, 15:13
Report commentI'm starting to think that the council are making the holes in roads on purpose to damage cars, I have had to replace three sets of tyres (sets because I dont beleive in just changing the one) in the last year because of potholes...............
The council need to take heed and sort them out instead of wasting money building pointless mini roundabouts whereever they fit and making speed humps.
I think you will find if you access data protection statistics that there has not been a dramatic drop in RTA's in Fife since all these speed bumps etc have been introduced. BUT there has been a drop in public spending on this things that count. Schools, road maintenance, footpaths and services.
Recommend? Yes 4
No 1
Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our News archives.
Dunfermline Press Poll
Were the Pars right to sack Jim McIntyre?
This Poll is now closed.
Yes (72.9%)
No (27.1%)
