RESIDENTIAL streets in Rosyth that are full of potholes won't be touched by Fife Council as they're too busy prioritising roads used by businesses.

That's according to Councillor Brian Goodall who complained that locals are having to drive around craters to get to and from their homes while money is spent elsewhere on "strategic" routes.

After being informed of what's in the South and West Fife area roads programme for 2023-24, he said: "I'm disappointed we're not able to add some of the more residential roads within the Rosyth ward into this programme.

"There's a huge amount being spent on two roads that are clearly of economic benefit but not necessarily of any benefit to local residents."

The budget includes £1.375 million for resurfacing carriageways, £226,760 for footways and £84,000 for road safety and traffic management schemes in South and West Fife.

In the programme is £295,621 for Craigencat Road, west of Kelty, and over £476,000 for two phases of work on St Margaret's Way, near Rosyth Dockyard.

The first phase, from King Malcolm Drive roundabout to St Margaret's Way roundabout east, will cost £263,129 while the second phase, between the east and west roundabouts on St Margaret's Way, comes in at £213,387.

The Culross to Longannet road, between Blairburn Cottage and the Longannet junction, will also be resurfaced at a cost of £273,329.

Neil Watson, from the roads and transportation service, said St Margaret's Way was "highly important" for the dockyard area and Forth Ports had spoken to the council about the condition of the road.

He said Craigencat Road had previously been identified for resurfacing but councillors were "not happy spending money on it" and had asked for a feasibility study.

Two years on, the condition of the road was even worse and he added: "We need to get on and do something with it. I would hate to get to the stage it gets so bad we have to close it."

Cllr Goodall had responded: "I was sorely tempted to say go ahead and close it, no-one in Rosyth would notice the difference.

"It seems to me to be an odd situation to be in.

"If these roads are so significant and strategic for economic development and the development of the dockyard in relation to the green freeport etc, then surely we should be getting some strategic funding instead of using a huge chunk of our local area budget."

Planned resurfacing works for 2023-24 also include £83,258 to improve the C5 rural road near Blair Castle, to the west of Culross, and £62,615 for Oakley Road in Saline, at the primary school.

In Oakley there's £39,720 to smooth the way on James Hog Crescent, between Stanley Terrace and Boswell Drive, and £68,725 to fix a stretch of Sir George Bruce Road from Sligo Street to Station Road.

The work will include some patching on Sligo Street.

Officers had included £53,450 for work on St Bridget's Brae in Dalgety Bay but local councillor Dave Dempsey said residents would rather see a start made on Moray Way instead.

Mr Watson said the £302,016 scheme to resurface Moray Way, between Steeple Crescent and Lumsdaine Crescent, was a category two but it could replace St Bridget's Brae as a category one project.

He said the available budget would mean only a sixth of the work could be carried out this coming year, but added that the council had recently allocated an extra £3.5m to improve Fife's roads so that may change.