Perth and Kinross Council’s revised pothole strategy has been branded an “abject failure”.
The accusation has come from SNP MP Pete Wishart, who said the local authority should be apologising to drivers.
The Tory-led administration announced a blitz on crumbling carriageways in one of its first moves after taking control in May last year.
Leader Ian Campbell reversed a controversial cash-saving policy which effectively changed the official definition of a pothole.
The former SNP administration had ruled that craters had to measure at least 60mm before they were eligible for repairs. The new policy meant reverting to the national standard of 40mm.
Mr Wishart said that the plan has not worked and called on the local authority to apologise to motorists.
“Anybody driving on the roads across Perth and Kinross could only conclude that they are an absolute disgrace,” he said. “Potholes have rarely been worse and constituents of mine are furious about the damage these potholes are doing to their vehicles.
“The Tories came to power as the great pothole crusaders, vowing that more potholes would be fixed and that they would ‘fix them right’. Instead Perthshire potholes are worse than ever, and the change of policy on repairs has been an abject failure.
“These hapless Tarmac Tories should hang their heads in shame and apologise to Perthshire motorists for making a bad situation considerably worse.”
A council spokeswoman said a survey carried out in January found pothole numbers had risen by a third over the last year.
“The current condition of the road network in Perth and Kinross is a direct consequence of the recent spell of very severe weather and inclement conditions experienced throughout the winter period and is therefore not restricted to Perth and Kinross alone,” she said.
Conservative councillor Angus Forbes said the rise in numbers was partly due to the new definition.
“When the Conservative-led administration took over the council last year, one of the things we did was to redefine a pothole,” he said.
“The previous SNP definition was 60mm deep, we changed that to 40mm deep. This will have an impact on the number of reported potholes.
“However, the issue that makes the most difference is the weather. Heavy snow, freezing and then melting is what creates potholes, this is not unique to Perth and Kinross.”
He added: “Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of driving along the A82, some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the country yet the road surface had potholes that were quite literally big enough to have a bath in.
“I suggest to Pete Wishart that he looks much closer to home on this issue and when the SNP Government have sorted out the trunk roads, he can then come complaining to Perth and Kinross Council.”
