THE percentage of payouts from North Ayrshire Council for pothole-related damage has almost doubled since 2019 - but the local authority still lies well below the national three-year average.

Only around one in every 12 compensation claims submitted to NAC are accepted, according to new figures.

In the last three years, the council was hit with 431 claims from drivers who had hit a pothole.

However, only 36 resulted in a payout - just 8.3 per cent of all submitted claims.

The percentage of claims resulting in a payout in North Ayrshire has increased each year: from six per cent in 2019/20; to 7.9 per cent in 2020/21; and 11.8 per cent in 2021/22.

The total compensation paid out over that period was £7,234, considerably less than in neighbouring South Ayrshire and nearly half the total in East Ayrshire.

Last year (2021/22), only 14 claims out of 119 were approved with payouts totalling £1,790 made to drivers.

In 2020/21, 13 claims out of a total of 164 were accepted with £3,835 paid out.

The year before, 2019/20, there were nine claims approved from 148 and payments made totalling £1,609.

Across Scotland over the three-year period, there were 13,269 claims to councils and 2,057 ended up in payouts, 15.5 per cent of the total.

The figures were obtained by the Scottish Conservatives following a Freedom of Information request.

The party said local government was being underfunded and councils were unable to maintain roads properly.

Graham Simpson MSP, shadow transport minister, said: “The dire condition of our roads is an extremely serious issue.

“Far too many local routes across Scotland are scarred with potholes which damage vehicles and can lead to crashes.

“Scotland’s pock-marked roads require urgent attention, and the SNP ought to commit to establishing the Pothole Action Funds that the Scottish Conservatives have called for.”

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “All claims made against the council are investigated thoroughly.

“Our roads service complies with the Well-Managed Highway Infrastructure: Code of Practice for managing our road network, including undertaking road safety inspections, categorising defects and setting response times for repairs.

“We assess all claims to confirm whether our responsibilities have been sufficiently met.”