Angus is near the bottom of Scotland’s pothole payout league in recent years – but one of the table toppers for compensation claims from pavement trips and falls.
Freedom of Information data has revealed that, since 2020, Angus drivers have been successful with only £5,013 worth of pothole claims.
The figure is a fraction of what other councils have coughed up.
In neighbouring Perth and Kinross, the three-year total was more than £75k.
Dumfries and Galloway topped the table at more than £622,000.
But the low level of Angus pothole compensation is dwarfed by the claim total for injuries caused by the district’s dodgy pavements.
Between 2020 and 2023 it settled cases worth more than £206,000.
And a single Arbroath payout in 2020/21 accounted for almost £150k of that total.
Only Glasgow, at more than £1m, was higher in the list of 17 council which responded to the FOI request.
The council encourages drivers to report potholes through its website so they can be promptly dealt with.
B-road troublespots
The FOI figures also reveal the area’s pothole hotspots.
The highest payout for each year was:
- 2020/21 – B9113 Forfar to Montrose road
- 2021/22 – B978 Kellas road
- 2022/23 – East High Street, Forfar
- 2023/24 (to date) – U395 Kinnordy
The highest pavement claims related to Arbroath in 2020/21 and 22/23, with information not available for the other years.
Angus Council potholes and an ‘eye-watering’ figure
North East Scottish Conservative Tess White said: “Angus drivers know how badly local roads have deteriorated in recent years.
“The money paid out to pedestrians, motorists and cyclists by the council would have been better spent on repairing potholes.
“That 2021 figure alone is eye-watering.
“Years of SNP cuts mean the council doesn’t have the resources to keep up with road maintenance.
“That has led to a backlog in repairs, and more and more insurance payouts – for the lucky few who manage to make a claim in the first place.”
Payouts in other parts of Tayside and Fife
Perth and Kinross paid out £76,699 for pothole damage over the same period.
The highest figure in any single year – £37,247 – related to the A93.
And in 2020/21, the authority paid out £72,910 in footpath compensation claims – including £30,718 for Perth.
Other years were not recorded.
In Fife the pothole total since 2020/21 is £55,540.
The highest single claim was £10,000 in 2022/23 for damage to a vehcile on the A823.
Pavement compensation claims for the same period has totalled £48,165.
A Kirkcaldy injury in 2020/21 was the highest single award.
Dundee City Council data were not provided in the FOI.
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