Why are potholes in Tayside and Fife so bad right now and will the cold snap make them worse?

Are potholes worse than ever right now?

Potholes are a uniting force for all road users to universally resent.

People are always getting in touch with us to complain about potholes, and this January they seem to be on everyone’s minds.

As drivers know, potholes can lead to burst tires or problems with your car’s suspension, often bringing with them great expense at the garage.

They can also be deadly for cyclists.

Here’s why potholes are so bad right now and why, I’m sorry to say, we may just have to grin and bear it.

Potholes get worse in cold weather

As the tarmac on our roads ages, more holes start showing up in it.

This makes it easier for water to trickle down through hairline cracks in the road’s surface.

In cold weather, the water freezes and expands. This causes even more cracks and makes the tarmac bulge outward.

There was snow and ice across Dundee, Angus, Fife and Perth and Kinross in December. This weather is the perfect climate for potholes to form.

When the ice melts away, these spaces become gaps or voids.

The cycle happens over and over again whenever there is cold weather.

Eventually, the tarmac will collapse and become a pothole.

It is also harder to get rid of potholes in winter – road surfaces need to be dry in order to be repaired properly.

‘You have weather creating potholes and weather stopping you fixing potholes’

Angus Forbes is a Conservative councillor for the Carse of Gowrie Ward.

He is also the Conservative spokesperson for the environment, infrastructure, economic development and active travel.

“Potholes are always going to be a big problem,” he admitted.

“As a local councillor, I get complaints about potholes on an absolutely daily basis.

“And it’s worse at this time of year.”

“You’ve got two competing issues at this time of year,” Angus continued, “you can’t really fix potholes properly at this time of year because they’re generally full of water.

“And you also get more potholes because you’ve got water and once it gets into the road, then it freezes, defrosts and freezes again.”

“So you’ve got those two things coming together where you actually have weather creating potholes and weather stopping you fixing potholes, so this is always the worst time of year for potholes.

“November to April is the worst time and then over the summer it eases off a bit.

“But I don’t think it is fair to say that we will see a huge difference over the next week.”

Here’s how to report dangerous potholes in your area.