Inverness residents have criticised the council for wasting taxpayers’ money on a botched pothole repair job.
The crater-like pothole appeared on Fairfield Lane, at the exit of the city’s Tesco’s car park, following several days of heavy snow showers.
Motorists departing the Tomnahurich Street store were forced to navigate around it while avoiding several other defects on the road, citing safety concerns.
The hazard was reported to council officials on Monday, calling for immediate action, and prompting the council to carry out repairs this morning.
However, locals have been left less than impressed by their work, describing it as a “mess” and a “bat a rat” repair.
‘What an awful job’
Pictures uploaded to the Facebook group Inverness Awareness page show the pothole before and after it was repaired.
Dozens of residents have taken to the comments criticising the repair, claiming it won’t last and is simply a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Steve Masters stressed that “cutting corners” only leads to more expense down the line.
He wrote: “That looks like a shocking job. Cutting corners only ends up costing us more in the long run. These roads are a state.
“They need tearing up and relaying, most of these roads weren’t built to take the amount of traffic we have nowadays. It is an endless battle unless hit hard.”
One local resident echoed his sentiments, writing: “Cold tar not sealed, probably won’t last a month and then the taxpayer has to pay again for shoddy work.
“No wonder Highland Council is broke.”
Another added: “There are extensive cracks right across the area so I can’t imagine that dumping a couple of lumps of tar in the holes will last for long.”
One local resident acknowledged the state of the roads but praised council staff for working to address issues promptly.
He said: “The state of some roads in Inverness is not great with potholes particularly at the Millburn roundabout when driving across the train tracks.
“Highland Council does its best with the staff resources and funding they have for Inverness and all the upkeep they are responsible for. I appreciate all that Highland Council does as regards the roads and winter weather creates such damage.
“I am a motorist and a cyclist so a good road surface is essential for me especially when cycling. I do not want damage to occur to my car or my bicycle.”
Council officials waiting for better weather to address road defects
Roads across the Highland Capital and beyond have been littered with potholes following the recent band of bad weather.
Council workers have been conducting daily temporary pothole repairs to address the issues following more than 1,000 reports this year.
Figures released by the council show that during the 2023/24 financial year, a total of 1564 road defects were reported, with 666 addressed up to January 19 this year.
Within the first 19 days of the New Year, the council received 43 reports of potholes, with just six addressed by January 19.
The figures were released as council officials battle to form a pothole “hit squad” in the region.
Highland Council has been attempting to form a dedicated rapid road repair team for the north to help improve road conditions as part of a £14 million investment.
However, issues surrounding recruitment left them facing a roadblock in getting the project up and running.
In a statement, a council spokesman said: “Work to tackle potholes never is undertaken over the winter months as for repairs to be effective we need to wait for better weather conditions – only emergency works are carried out in winter conditions. Our focus has been providing a seven days a week winter maintenance service. Once the weather improves maintenance works will be carried out in line with resources.”
