Councils across Scotland are spending more than £1,600 a day compensating drivers whose cars have been damaged by potholes, figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives have shown.
Motorists were reimbursed to the tune of £584,745 in 2012/13, with the five-year total now standing at more than £2.7 million.
The amounts paid out by local authorities for repairs such as burst tyres and suspension damage vary considerably.
Perth & Kinross Council paid out £80,329 over 5 years.
Fife Council paid out £31,957 over 5 years.
The statistics were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through Freedom of Information.
Scottish Conservative transport spokesman Alex Johnstone MSP said:
“The state of roads both in the city and the countryside are a matter of real concern for motorists.
“We need to make sure surfaces are kept in good condition, because investment in that would very much reduce the cash paid out in future.
“The true damage caused by potholes is likely to be far higher than this, because many drivers can’t face going through the official channels to try and recoup the money paid for repairs.
“Perhaps if the Scottish Government took more of a lead in properly investing in our road network and supporting motorists, it would encourage more councils to do the same.
“Only when the overall standard of roads are improved will we see these compensation figures come down.”