An Edinburgh driver who says he had to spend hundreds of pounds getting new tyres fitted after going over potholes now plans to claim compensation from the council.
The capital's pothole problem has worsened over recent weeks amid harsh winter weather, with the local authority inundated with complaints.
The West End has been highlighted as being among the worst affected, where a cyclist became so concerned that he placed a traffic cone in a huge pothole he claimed could "cause serious injury if not death".
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Resurfacing work will commence in the area next week and the council said it has "redirected additional resources in light of the volume of enquiries currently coming through".
Transport chief Scott Arthur said there were limited funds to deal with the issue, adding he hoped would addressed at next month's budget meeting.
Local motorist Neil Bethune said he has seen two tyres blow out in less than two weeks, which he said was a result of the state of the city's 'disgraceful' roads - costing him £300 for replacements.
He described the situation as a "nightmare" and now intends to seek reimbursement from the authority for the damage.
But he said the council's compensation process is "very poor" adding it could take up to 18 weeks before he hears back about the claim.
Meanwhile there are growing calls for pothole-ridden roads in the West End to be fixed, with locals worried about dangers posed to drivers and cyclists by the craters.
One Twitter user commented West Coates is now "more potholes than road".
And Edinburgh resident Ben Glasgow said he has started to avoid the stretch between Haymarket and Roseburn when cycling about town - and recently resorted to moving a traffic cone into one particularly bad cavity he claimed almost threw him off his bike.
He said: "I only saw it at the last second and managed to avoid it but if a less vigilant cyclist or motorcyclist had not seen that, it absolutely would have taken them off their bike and cause them serious injury if not death.
"I had to stop and place a cone into the pothole."
Mr Glasgow, who works as a professional photographer and videographer, added: "I can’t imagine how much chaos it would cause a driver if they hit that at speed either through damage or swerving to avoid."
He called on the council to take action "as a matter of urgency".
Edinburgh City Council confirmed roadworks will begin next week to resurface Roseburn Terrace and West Coates as part of the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL) scheme.
As a result, there will be two-way traffic lights in place for six weeks. Work crews will carry out repairs during the day for the first five days and then switch to overnight shifts for the remaining five weeks.
Transport convener Cllr Scott Arthur said: “Concerning potholes, the number of reports on the system fluctuates daily as the council repairs old ones and receive new ones. We aim to inspect reports as quickly as possible and target an inspection withing five working days.
"We have redirected additional resources in light of the volume of enquiries currently coming through. This increase in enquires has been worsened by the prolonged cold weather in mid to late December followed by torrential rain on the 30th December and then continued wet weather. We categorise and prioritise our defects to ensure that the worst potholes are actioned first.
“Of course we appreciate the frustration road defects like potholes can cause, but it’s essential that we direct limited resources where needed, so our roads continue to be usable and safe. I acknowledge that road maintenance in Edinburgh is underfunded, and I hope to work with other political parties to address this in the coming budget.”
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