An increase in extreme weather events as a result of climate change added £40m to West Lothian Council’s costs in the first 15 years of the new century, officials have said.
Harsh winters in 2009 and 2010 put huge pressures on roads clearing and maintenance and the council has also faced increasing bills for clear-ups in the wake of increased flooding and the development and implementation of flood control measures.
Council officers first calculated the costs - put down as direct and indirect in maintenance and repairs - in surveys set up in 2018.
