Research from comparison website Confused.com has shown that the combined depth of all potholes in Fife extends to well over a kilometre.
The data was uncovered from an FOI request where Confused.com asked for the number of potholes/road defects recorded, and the minimum depth required for a defect to be considered a pothole.
In the Mid-Scotland and Fife region, only Perth and Kinross and Fife responded with information. In Perth and Kinross the combined depth for all potholes recorded was 364m and in Fife it was 1,168m, indicating that Fifers drive on some of the worst road surfaces in the UK.
The new Conservative administration at Perth and Kinross council recently reduced the size at which they would repair potholes, meaning more defects will be tackled under their leadership.
Of the 19 Scottish local authorities that responded, the average combined pothole depth was 334.09m and each year £1.67 billion is spent on road repairs across Scotland.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said;
“This report underlines the extent of damage to road surfaces in Fife. Potholes are an issue that simply won’t go away and Councils across the country need to commit to repairing them as quickly as possible.
“The Conservative administration in Perth and Kinross has made tackling potholes an immediate priority and reversed the SNP’s decision to increase the size at which they would fill holes.
“Of the local authorities reporting data, only road surfaces in Edinburgh were worse than Fife, which is very disappointing.. Some Councils have taken a gamble on paying compensation claims rather than repairing surfaces and this is not on.
“I would call on Fife Council to look at their current repair programme as it is clear that the Kingdom is home to some of Scotland’s worst roads.”