Scottish councils pay out less pothole compensation than England

Two severe winters have left some roads across Scotland in a poor state

Local authorities in Scotland have paid out less to drivers for damage to vehicles caused by potholes than councils in England, a survey has said.

Insurance company Britannia Rescue claimed Aberdeen City Council spent just under £37,000 - the biggest sum of the 16 Scots councils which responded.

However, it added that that was nowhere near the £630,000 paid out by Surrey County Council.

Britannia obtained the figures through a freedom of information request.

Nearly 55,000 claims have been made against councils across Britain in little more than two years.

The claims have included damage to wheel rims, punctured tyres and damaged suspensions.

Britannia Rescue said the local authorities which responded to the FOI paid out a total of £4.8m in compensation.

At the beginning of the year, the Scottish Conservative Party released figures which said Scotland's local authorities paid out a total of £1,738,966 in compensation for pothole damage between 2006/07 and 2010/11.