Highland Council makes potholes vow after Black Isle residents voice frustration over state of roads
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FRUSTRATED residents who have hit out at “horrendous” potholes in a Black Isle village have been assured that Highland Council will try to fix the issue this summer.
North Kessock resident Lianne Cumming was one of several readers to contact the Inverness Courier in the wake of a recent full council meeting, during which some councillors said the region’s pothole crisis had escalated to the point where they felt “ashamed”.
The heated meeting, and the Courier’s subsequent news report, prompted a number of responses from the public, eager to highlight problem spots in their area and voice growing frustration of the state of the roads.
Ms Cumming highlighted several spots in North Kessock where the road has deteriorated to the point where she says motorists are swerving in order to avoid them.
And despite she, and a neighbour, contacting the council to report the problems on multiple occasions, she says no action or response has been forthcoming.
Describing the situation, she highlighted a number of spots, but added that potholes in Ferry Brae are particularly “horrendous”, and is worried that the road’s proximity to well-used public sites like the school, GP surgery and sports facilities mean there is a heightened risk of an accident involving cars or pedestrians.
She said: “Obviously pipes were laid in the road and [the new tar] is now opening up. Cars are obviously swerving to avoid the holes.”
She added that she had a near miss recently, when one car moving to avoid the potholes wound up part way on her side of the road.
“The council haven’t got back to me at all, and I’ve not seen anybody at the site.”
Highland Council has now assured the village’s residents that it is “aware of the problem” and hopes to carry out much more extensive repairs during the warmer summer months.
A council spokesman said: “We have previously carried out patching on the Ferry Brae section leading to the bowling green and the school, but there has been further deterioration over winter especially at the junction at Ferry Brae off the main street.
“Temporary pothole repairs have been carried out on the worst of the defects, and it is hoped that permanent patching can be programmed in during the summer.”
He added that the council’s roads team had been busy tackling recent wintry weather “but with better weather forecast the crews will be switching to concentrate their efforts on carrying out road repairs across all areas”.
Meanwhile, Knockbain Community Council’s chairman John Stott has urged North Kessock residents to continue to report any potholes they spot so the local authority are able to tackle them as soon as they are able.
He added that Highland Council had been “fairly responsive” whenever he had reported matters in the past, and that some on the fringes of North Kessock potholes – such as the rutted road surface outside the old Drumsmittal Primary School – had recently been fixed through full resurfacing.
“I believe there is a big pot of money to sort out the problem coming in the next few months,” he said. “In defence of Highland Council they have been doing their best in very difficult conditions. The road crew cannot do a good repair job in the winter so they are often fighting a losing battle.
“Some of the repairs that have been done over the last few months have to be praised, especially the pothole filling at Drumsmittal road end, near the old primary school, which was like a lunar landscape.
“I am sure as soon as the warmer weather comes in the potholes will be filled.”
Related news: Highland councillors clash over urgent road spend
Related news: Work to repair Highland roads underway again following last week's period of wintry weather
