Thurso is at risk of becoming “totally unpassable” as potholes leave residents footing the bill to repair damaged vehicles.
Furious residents and business owners have condemned Highland Council for the “ridiculous” situation motorists are finding themselves in due to defects in the region’s road network.
Potholes have plagued roads across the Highlands, with winter conditions causing surfaces to deteriorate in Caithness.
Now Caithness residents feel the county is turning into a “patchwork quilt of neglect.”
Thurso faces being cut off without urgent action taken to fix potholes
Thurso resident Jay Patterson warned unless drastic action is taken, the town will become cut off by next year.
He said: “It’s beyond the point of being potholes now.
“There’s no way, physically, we can go through another winter with the roads in this condition.
“It’ll be totally unpassable by next year, without a doubt.”
Mere hours after receiving his driver’s license, Jay’s son had blown a tyre on his car due to a pothole. Since then, he’s broken two alloys and punctured three tyres.
It’s also impacting Jay Patterson’s business. He runs a car detailing service and has had countless cancellations from customers because they’ve hit a pothole on the way.
He said: “People can’t afford to keep repairing their cars, it’s ridiculous now.”
Hoping to call attention to the issue, the Thurso resident hosted a public meeting at his house on Monday.
Iain Gregory, co-founder of Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) group was at the meeting.
He said “public anger is growing by the day.”
“The county of Caithness is now no more than a patchwork quilt of neglect, an area apparently regarded as being so far from the seat of power in Holyrood, that it can safely be ignored and marginalised, and the needs of the people disregarded,” he added.
What is Highland Council doing?
Nearly a year after announcing it, Highland Council has put recruitment for its pothole “hit squad” on hold, according to a spokesperson.
Council officials unveiled the initiative in February.
In December, officials told The P&J that retaining the required staff has been difficult, with many withdrawing or refusing the offer of employment.
But councillor Ron Gunn said there had been question marks over the idea from the beginning. He added that the recruitment process has been flawed.
Council officials have confirmed there is no progress in launching the rapid road repair team.
They said: “Whilst there was a very positive response to the advertisement campaign, and appointments were made, unfortunately, many of these subsequently withdrew or did not take up the offer of employment.
“Skills and expertise in this area are highly competitive. It is proposed that recruitment will begin again in 2024.”
On Thursday, the Highland Economy & Infrastructure Committee announced they were hiring a contractor, Thermal Road Repairs, on a three-week trial basis.
The company uses a thermal repair process which recycles existing material at the site of a pothole. This cuts costs and the carbon footprint of doing the work.
During the trial, repairs are planned in Thurso, Dingwall, Inverness and Fort William.
The pothole hit squad has been put on hold until the trial is over.
Highland Council fixing fewer potholes annually
Highland Council fixed fewer potholes last year than in any year since 2017, although the real number may be higher due to council’s ‘find and fix’ strategy, which sees some repairs not being documented.
Last year, the council completed 1,077 work instructions, out of a total 2,801 filed works instructions.
In 2022, it completed 1,443 out of 2,718 filed instructions. In 2021, it was 1,534 respectively out of 2,664.
Councillor Gunn said: “It’s quite a difficult one to defend to be honest because there is an awful lot of work required.
“With the funds we have at the moment, it wouldn’t make an awful lot of difference to the number of roads that are needing repairs.”
Conversation