Residents of the Mearns have been urged to report potholes to Aberdeenshire Council after the severe winter weather took its toll on roads and pavements.
The local authority maintains more than 5600 kilometres (3500 miles) of roads throughout the north-east.
The extent of damage to Mearns roads has yet to emerge and council chiefs are appealing for residents and drivers to get in touch to arrange inspection and repairs on a priority basis.
Aberdeenshire infrastructure services committee chairman Peter Argyle said, “The weather has had an impact on our roads and it is important we identify and repair potholes.
“As well as our regular roads inspections, we rely on the public to report defects to us and each pothole brought to our attention is made safe as soon as practical by our road crews. Repairs are being carried out across Aberdeenshire and we would like to thank residents for their assistance in this matter.”
Committee vice-chairwoman Jill Webster said, “The council has teams in place to react to problems caused by winter weather from November to March. The total spent on repairing our roads will not be known until that period concludes as it clearly depends on how severe the remainder of the winter actually is.”
Response times for repairs are related to the severity of the damage. Any hole posing an immediate danger is inspected and fixed within a day, while all other defects are repaired by a specified date. Some-times a pothole is filled temporarily prior to making a permanent repair.
The cost depends on the work needed but is usually met from the roads general maintenance budget.
When a vehicle is damaged as a result of a pothole, the council’s insurance representatives deal with the claim on an individual basis.
To report road defects call 08456 081205, text 07624 820722 or email roads@aberdeenshire.gov.uk.