Car insurance company Confused. com compiled a list of Scotland’s worst pothole offenders.
And it shows that the region’s pothole plight is the third worst in Scotland for total depth, at 26,028 reports totalling 1,041m – beaten only by Edinburgh City and Fife.
But while Edinburgh City Council paid out £69,385 in compensation to drivers, only £7755 was paid out by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
However £1,820,892 has been spent on repairs locally, compared to just £975,000 in Fife.
Councillor Adam Wilson has praised Dumfries and Galloway Council for investing nearly £2 million in repairs.
He said: “Clearly potholes are a big issue in this area but it’s positive to see that money is being invested in repairs.
“The repair costs are probably the reason the compensation costs are low, potholes aren’t being left for as long.”
He added: “The council are currently trialling a new plastic roads product, by MacRebur, along the A709 Dumfries to Lockerbie road.
“Hopefully this could be the answer to longer-wearing roads.”
Confused.com motoring editor Amanda Stretton says the report shows just how deep the UK’s pothole problem really is.
She said: “They are a major bugbear among drivers, not least because of the damage they do to our vehicles – around £3.1 million worth of damage, which has been paid out by almost half of the UK’s councils.
“If drivers experience a bump in the road, they should report it to their local council as soon as possible before the problem gets any worse.
“The cost of motoring alone is getting more and more expensive and damage repairs is a big contributor to this, as car parts increase in price as well.
“For advice on pothole damage, and other ways to save on motoring costs, drivers can find more information at Confused.com.”
