New priorities to tackle potholes in Fife’s roads

The new policy, agreed at the economy, tourism and transportation committee,  will prioritise high risk potholes – for example, ones on busy roads – over those in residential areas.

This will allow the council to get reapairs done quicker, while filling low risk ones more efficiently, so return visits are unlikely.

But councillors raised concerns that this would mean some problems in low risk areas would go unfixed.

Cllr Jane Ann Liston said: “I would hope this is not going to be used as justification for not doing things. If a car or bike gets damaged by going over a pothole, it isn’t going to matter very much if it’s in a cul de sac or A-road.”

But Martin Kingham, roads and network service manager, assured councillors this was not the case.

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He said: “This will allow us to fill in the potholes on the quieter roads in a way that will last longer and require fewer revisits. It gives us the time to pay particular care to the boundaries of the potholes, meaning they are filled to a higher standard.

“It will never be a case of not doing things –  but doing things at the right time. They might not be repaired as quickly, but they will be repaired.”

Councillor Altany Craik, convener of the committee, said he hoped the new method would lead to fewer complaints.

He added:: “There is a very real frustration when you see a pothole being repaired and they’re back a few weeks later repairing it again. The method of this will be very important.”

Emma O'Neill , Local Democracy Reporting Service