LATEST figures show that Scottish Borders Council has forked out £26,157 in compensation for damage caused by potholes since 2013.

The statistics come just weeks after we reported that roads in the Borders are the worst in Scotland when it comes to repairs.

The data, revealed via a Freedom of Information Request (FOI), shows that between the financial years 2013-2016 there were 560 claims for damage to vehicles due to potholes.

They also show there were 39 injury claims due to pothole incidents and the council paid out £50 in compensation relating to these claims.

South Scotland MSP Rachael Hamilton (Con) said: “Potholes are a plague to our roads and this FOI reveals the damage they can cause and £26,000 is an astronomical amount of money to spend in compensation for poor roads. 

“Not only is there a financial cost, but also a cost to the person affected, be it through being unable to work because of the injury, time lost to having their vehicle repaired, and of course the trauma the incident caused.

“The increase of vehicle incidents comes at a time when roads in the Borders have worsened.

“The damages to vehicles and persons is a reminder of the importance to fill these potholes in – one way to ensure this is done quickly is to introduce a pot hole fund – something my party has long campaigned for.”

Council bosses say they have a plan in place to ensure claims are “thoroughly investigated” and are committed to dealing with road repairs.

A spokesperson said: “Funds are directed to deal with pothole repairs in line with current response standards. However, the council does have a robust inspection and investigation system with each individual claim thoroughly investigated and claims only settled where there is a legal liability.

“SBC is committed to maintaining its road network as best as it can, with an additional £2.5million to be spend on the region’s roads over the next five years. This brings the projected spend on roads in 2016/17 to over £9.5million.”