COUNCIL chiefs have spent a whopping £2.5 million on repairing potholes throughout Inverclyde over the last five years - but hundreds of craters are yet to be dealt with.

Figures obtained by the Telegraph under freedom of information legislation show that 1,324 potholes were reported in the last year alone.

A total of 1,428 - including many that had not previously been treated - were filled in at cost of almost £484,000.

There are currently 352 potholes awaiting maintenance across the district, including 191 which have been waiting longer than the council’s agreed timescale for repair.

One pothole on Upper Cartsburn Street has been on the list for almost 12 months, having come to the attention of the local authority on July 10 last year.

Lesley Roberts, who founded the Inverclyde Pothole Watch Group in 2019, has raised concerns over health and safety and the dangers of potholes being left untreated and branded the situation a 'disaster'.

She told the Telegraph: “It seems to me the area just seems to be getting worse.

“They are also doing those temporary repairs in potholes that don’t last any time at all.

“When motorists are going over them they are opening up again and you’re back at square one. The place is a disaster.

“When you’re driving a car, you’re driving a lethal weapon with the potential to kill somebody.

“There is potential for people to come out to avoid a pothole and cause an accident, and people could die.”

(Image: Duncan Bryceland)

The data shows that Old Largs Road has seen the highest number of potholes reported since 2018/19.

Newark Street in Greenock is currently has the most unfixed potholes, however all remain within the agreed maintenance timescale.

Councillor Graeme Brooks, who represents Inverclyde North, said he was disappointed the street was not included for carriageway resurfacing in the Capital Funding programme for 2024/25.

He added: “The state of roads throughout Inverclyde is one of the greatest challenges both Roads Authorities face.

“Our Roads Team here at Inverclyde Council are only limited by the funding available.

“I’m challenged that £500,000 is being spent on unwanted cycle tracks through Inverclyde, where we could fill potholes to make the carriageways safer for all road users, including cyclists.”

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “We spend more on roads per kilometre than the national average.

“The average spend on roads per kilometre in Inverclyde has increased each year since 2020 and in 2022/23 the average spend per kilometre locally was £24,824 compared with a Scotland-wide average spend of £12,940 per kilometre.

(Image: Duncan Bryceland)

“Our maintenance levels are also higher than or comparable with national averages.

“There is currently no backlog on our high and medium priority potholes. However, a number of our lower priority potholes will be repaired through ongoing programmes of work.

“Over the winter/early spring period the inclement weather, which was especially wet earlier this year, resulted in a greater number of potholes forming and it is not unusual for there to be a small backlog in late spring/early summer.

“We are working through this backlog to address these potholes.

“We will be attending to the Upper Cartsburn Street pothole very soon - delays have been caused by access issues.

“Residents can report potholes and other roads issues through our website.”