THE latest figures show that Scottish Borders Council has had to fork out £26,157 in compensation for damage caused by potholes since 2013.

The statistics come just weeks after we reported that roads in the Borders are the worst in Scotland when it comes to repairs.

The data, revealed via a Freedom of Information Request, shows that between the financial years 2013-2016 there were 560 claims for damage to vehicles due to potholes.

They also show there were 39 claims for injury due to pothole incidents and £50 paid out in compensation relating to these claims.

South Scotland MSP Rachael Hamilton said: "Potholes are a plague to our roads and this FOI reveals the damage they can cause.

"£26,000 is an astronomical amount of money to spend in compensation for poor roads. Not only is there a financial cost, but also a cost to the person affected, be it through being unable to work because of the injury, time lost to having their vehicle repaired, and of course the trauma the incident caused.

"The increase of vehicle incidents comes at a time when roads in the Borders have worsened.

"The damages to vehicles and persons is a reminder of the importance to fill these potholes in – one way to ensure this is done quickly is to introduce a pot hole fund – something my party has long campaigned for."