The owner of a taxi firm has told how cabbies are being left out of pocket due to West Dunbartonshire’s crumbling roads.
Allan Wright, owner of Wright’s Taxis in Alexandria, has said he’s seen a number of his drivers forced to fork out for replacement tyres after striking potholes – and has called on people to report them.
His comments come after the Lennox reported that West Dunbartonshire Council was the only local authority in Scotland not to pay out on a single compensation claim for damage caused by potholes.
The local authority said that they were not deemed to be at fault for the incidents, with a spokeswoman saying: “All claims received are assessed by independent claims handlers. Claims are rejected if no fault or liability can be attributed to WDC.”
However, Allan has hit out at the state of routes across the area, which he says have deteriorated after the recent cold snap.
He told the Lennox: “After the last frost we had the roads just seemed to crumble. Potholes have almost doubled in size.
“In Jamestown I had a woman driving towards me who swerved, and I looked to see why and the stank had dropped a few inches. I was talking to a pal who runs a garage in the Vale and he’s said every second person who comes in has damage to his wheels, springs, shock absorbers because of potholes.
“I get the bill in every month for the taxis, and I’ve seen a big rise in the number of damaged tyres.
“Normally we rent our cars out so we pay for bald tyres to make sure they are legal. But the drivers pay for any damage like burst tyres from hitting a pothole or a pavement.
“The problem now is that the roads are so bad now we can’t say that. Some of the roads are unbelievably bad.”
Allan has urged people to report potholes to West Dunbartonshire Council, to pressure the local authority into fixing them.
He continued: “I know if it’s been previously reported to the council then they should pay out. But a lot of people are knocked back if it’s not reported. There are quite a few campaigns locally on social media urging people to take photographs and send them to the council. That way it’s been reported if someone hits it.
“I’m paying my road tax and if I can’t get from A to B because I’ve lost a tyre by hitting a pothole then someone has to be responsible.”
Meanwhile, SNP councillor Jonathan McColl last week confirmed that WDC were now in contact with JCB about purchasing the manufacturers ‘Pothole Pro’ machine – which claims to be able to repair defects in minutes.
Four Scottish councils have already armed themselves with the PotholePro covering more than 10,000 miles of highway.
And last spring West Dunbartonshire Council looked set to become the fifth, as members agreed to purchase the machine.
However, in December it was revealed that JCB had yet to receive an enquiry from the local authority.
Councillor McColl last week confirmed that officers from the council had now contacted JCB.
A spokeswoman for West Dunbartonshire Council added: “Weekly road inspections are undertaken throughout the year with particular focus on high traffic and footfall areas, and any required repairs are actioned.
“Inspections are undertaken by our dedicated find and fix teams who will repair any safety defects identified during the course of the inspection.
“The volume of defects reported are monitored on a weekly basis, with additional resource diverted to areas with increased defects. These areas are also assessed to determine whether they should be added to the structural patching or resurfacing programme for the coming year.”
