MORE than £185,000 has been paid out by Ayrshire councils in pothole compensation claims in the past five years.

Figures revealed following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Liberal Democrats show that the local authorities coughed up £185,747.61 between 2019-20 and 2023-24.

North Ayrshire Council has paid out £75,938.19 in that time, with East Ayrshire's bill totalling £67,133.51. 

South Ayrshire Council paid out £42,675.91, the least of the three local council areas in the region.

The figures do not reveal any trends, with East Ayrshire Council paying no compensation in 2022-23, and South Ayrshire paying out just £123.48 the same year.

The total number of potholes reported in each of the three areas was also revealed as part of the FOI request. 

In South Ayrshire, 8,736 potholes were recorded, with 6,453 in North Ayrshire. East Ayrshire Council did not provide a figure under the FOI request.

The longest time to repair a pothole in each of the local authorities was also revealed, although East Ayrshire again did not provide this information. 

In North Ayrshire, the longest wait was 348 days since 2019, and in South Ayrshire it was 295 days taken to complete a work instruction for a repair.

A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Over the last five years, South Ayrshire Council has invested £37m in roads and road infrastructure.

"All local authorities are dealing with potholes and Ayrshire Roads Alliance resolve these on a risk based approach in accordance with Well Managed Infrastructure A Code of Practice, working in tandem with South Ayrshire Council."

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We have a well-established set of guidelines that allows us to identify defects and prioritise these in terms of importance to public safety.

"While we always endeavour to fix all issues that arise it is sometimes not possible due to a high number of problems that happen at the same time due to prolonged adverse weather.

“All claims that are made are investigated on an individual basis and dealt with according to statutory standards and guidelines.”

East Ayrshire Council did not respond to a request for comment.