CLAIMING council compensation for vehicle damage due to hitting a pothole is far from easy, say Borders drivers.

Last week it was revealed that Scottish Borders Council (SBC) had spent £9.6m over the past three years on repairing craters – more than any other local authority.

Peebles motorist Sophie Hamilton said she was involved in a pothole-related incident on January 24 after the council noted the defect on December 29.

She made a claim but described the council’s response as “a bit tenuous”.

“It hangs on how the pothole was classified on December 29 and the repair schedule,” said Ms Hamilton.

“Trying to find this information is nigh on impossible.”

SBC’s advisors told her that they could find no “proof the incident was caused by our customer’s negligence or a breach of duty”.

They added that they were satisfied the council had a “reasonable system in place for inspection, maintenance, and repair”.

They said it meant that no settlement could be offered.

A fellow driver – who said he had received compensation in the past – told Ms Hamilton to take photos of the damage and pothole.

Another person commenting on Ms Hamilton’s post, published on Peeblesshire Roads and Traffic, said: “I would definitely appeal as 26 days to act on a known road fault is far too long. 

“Ask for a copy of their road maintenance checking schedule and ask when the road was last checked.”

It is possible to report potholes on SBC’s website at www.scotborders.gov.uk/xfp/form/660

SBC says to help decide how quickly to take action it requires the following details: risk to public safety; size and depth of the pothole; type, speed and volume of traffic on the road; road alignment and visibility; and position of the damage.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The council has robust proactive road inspection, maintenance and repair procedures in place.

“Issues such as potholes can arise for a variety of reasons and we encourage customers to report these issues to us using our online form to enable them to be logged, inspected and repaired as required.

“Over the past three years a total of £39.4m has been spent by the council on all elements of roads maintenance as part of our ongoing investment into our 3,000km-long road network – the fourth largest local authority road network in Scotland.”