The Beast from the East cost Perth and Kinross Council an extra £1.5 million, it has emerged.
The local authority reported a major over-spend on its winter maintenance budget, thanks to bitter weather conditions which battered the area at the start of March.
The arctic blast brought the region to a standstill, causing white-outs on the roads and forcing a blanket school closure.
Members of the council’s strategic policy and resources committee heard around £3.7 million was planned for this year’s winter budget. However, battling the beast saw the cost rise to around £5.2 million.
It could cost an extra £1 million to repair roads in the aftermath of the storm.
Fierce conditions also swallowed up the mountain of minerals used for road and pavement treatment across the region. The amount used almost doubled this year from 16,000 tonnes to 30,000.
News of the over-spend prompted a furious political spat between two councillors, after it emerged that the council would receive £400,000 from the Scottish Government for road repairs.
The money is a slice of a £10 million Bellwin scheme pot to be distributed to local authorities across the country.
Liberal Democrat councillor Peter Barrett, said: “The government has abandoned councils.
“We now face a multi-million-pound black hole in our pothole and winter maintenance budget and this is before we even get to assessing the full impact of the damage caused to our roads network, which will be over another £1 million.”
He said: “At the height of the severe weather, and while were dealing with snow drifts several metres deep, SNP minister Derek Mackay said he would stand by councils and communities.
“Now, only a month later, he has gone back on his word and is short-changing those same people.”
Between November and February, the council repaired 4,828 out of 5,251 reported potholes – a 92% success rate, compared to the national average of 78%.
Local SNP group leader Dave Doogan hit back at Mr Barrett’s remarks, describing him as a “serial Tory apologist”.
He said: “He needs to think again if he believes these accusations are based in any form of reality.
“It seems he is suggesting that the Scottish Government is entirely responsible for meeting the full cost of exceptional weather here in Perth and Kinross, which is patent nonsense.”
Mr Doogan, councillor for Perth City North, added: “All councils maintain a reserves fund which is regularly called upon to meet the costs of severe winter weather.
“Perhaps some of Councillor Barrett’s concerns hinge on the fact that, since May, when the Tories took over running the council, he and his Tory bosses have been busy dipping into reserves for all manner of projects unrelated to winter maintenance.”
Mr Doogan said: “The Tories and Councillor Barrett first blamed the previous SNP council leadership for the deterioration of our roads, then they blamed the weather and now they re blaming the Scottish Government when, in truth, they have been caught sleeping on the job.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The local road network is the responsibility of councils and it is up to them to allocate resources based on local priorities.
“However we have allocated an additional £10 million to local authorities to assist with the cost of road maintenance and repair following the extended adverse weather. In addition to this, Perth and Kinross Council will have an additional £7.5 million (over 3%) revenue funding to spend on day to day services, compared to 2017-18.”
He added: “Despite continued UK Government real terms cuts to Scotland’s resource budget, we have treated local government very fairly and the £10.7 billion local government finance settlement in 2018/19 will provide a real terms boost in both revenue and capital funding.”
