The state of Angus roads and pavements is creating a compensation culture in the county, a politician has claimed.
Angus Council has been forced to defend its maintenance record after compensation payment figures were released.
A freedom of information request by the Scottish Conservatives found the cash-strapped local authority paid almost £17,000 to 20 claimants in 2013/14.
The party said the figures showed a need for greater spend on roads and pavements in the area to halt the growing “compensation culture”.
The council said it has paid nothing to the 18 people who have made claims over the last year, and defended the amount it spends on maintenance.
North East Scotland MSP Alex Johnstone said the state of the roads and pavements in Angus is a “matter for real concern”.
He said: “If roads and pavement surfaces were kept in a good condition, then that would very much reduce the cash paid out for compensation claims in the future.
“Only when the overall standard of our public pavements and roads is improved will we see compensation figures come down.
“Nobody wants to have an accident where they seriously hurt themselves due to a broken pavement.
“However, many hard-working local people will be disappointed to hear their cash is going on compensation claims for accidents which could be prevented,” he said.
A spokesman for Angus Council said the latest Scottish Roads Maintenance Condition Survey indicated the condition of the county’s roads is the seventh best in Scotland.
He said: “Approximately £7.5 million was spent on road carriageways and footway repairs and resurfacing in 2014/15 and we have a budget of £8.1m for such works across our network of 1,100 miles of roads for 2015/16.
“Statistics relating to the number and value paid out on third party claims show that the council is performing well when measured against other local authorities.
“We would encourage people to report any road or pavement defects they are aware of to our ACCESSLine on 03452 777 778 so any repairs can be assessed, prioritised and undertaken.”