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£1.8M pothole damages bill revealed
COUNCILS in Scotland have paid out almost £1.8 million in compensation to motorists whose vehicles have been damaged by potholes, according to new figures.
The statistics, which cover the last five years, were revealed by the Scottish Conservatives following a Freedom of Information request.
The party branded the figures “astonishing” and said the seven-figure bill was “just the tip of the iceberg”.
The data shows that Scottish local authorities paid out a total of £1,738,966 in compensation for pothole damage between 2006/07 and 2010/11.
The country’s largest local authority, Glasgow City Council, topped the list with payouts amounting to £355,530.
The amount it has handed over has risen in recent years, hitting a high of more than £197,000 in 2010/11. By comparison, the same local authority paid out just under £20,000 in 2007/08.
Edinburgh City Council’s five-year compensation total stands at £188,331. In 2010/11 it paid out £21,964, compared with almost £78,000 in 2006/07.
South Lanarkshire and Aberdeen Councils also found their five-year bills reached six figures, at £215,473 and £114,780 respectively.
According to the figures, Western Isles Council has made no pothole damage payouts over the last five years. Figures from Renfrewshire Council were not available.
Commenting on the statistics, the Scottish Tories’ deputy leader, Jackson Carlaw MSP, said: “This is an astonishing level of compensation paid out by local authorities in Scotland to motorists and the £2 million bill is just the tip of the iceberg, as there will be many motorists who won’t have claimed for damage from their local authorities.
“Furthermore the compensation bill is only part of the cost of dealing with the claims as councils will spend vast sums of time and money dealing with each individual claim.
“The shocking state of our roads is a reality that every motorist and councillor knows only too well and that is why we proposed a Road Maintenance Fund in the recent Scottish elections to help fix the problem.”
Article by:
Hilary Duncanson
Press Association
Fuel prices to rocket in 2012
Fuel prices are set to rocket in 2012, with average diesel prices passing the 145p per litre (ppl) mark for the first time ever, according to one industry analyst. And drivers of petrol cars won’t fare much better – they’ll see average prices hover close to the 140ppl mark this summer, too.
The prediction comes from energy broker EnergyQuote – a firm that provides fuel forecasts to businesses running fleets so that they can accurately predict their future costs.
Damien Cox, the firm’s lead energy analyst, told Auto Express: “Prices will go up, especially after the duty increase in August. On average, oil prices will likely be marginally higher in 2012 than in 2011.”
Cox has provided us with a month-by-month forecast of fuel prices for 2012. And, according to his predictions, average petrol prices will peak at 139.26ppl in August. While diesel will hit record average prices of 145.89ppl in October.
Article by
By Jon Morgan
AutoExpress
Special Edition Citroen on Sale
Citroën has introduced a stylish new special edition into its award-winning C3 Picasso range – C3 Picasso Code.
The C3 Picasso Code, which replaces the previous Blackcherry special edition, is based on the best-selling HDi 90 manual VTR+ version, with added equipment.
Complementing a generous specification that already includes air conditioning, a Connecting Box (Bluetooth® system with USB socket), curtain airbags and cruise control with speed limiter, the C3 Picasso Code gains a ‘Look Pack’ that features:
- Polar White or Cherry Red 17” ‘Clover’ alloy wheels (depending on body colour)
- Chrome lower bumper inserts
- Shiny black painted door handles with chrome inserts
- Obsidian Black painted front & rear bumpers
- Obsidian Black door mirrors with shiny black surround & base plate
- Longitudinal roof bars
- Shiny black vent surrounds
- Carpet mats
There are four body colours to choose from – Polar White, Cherry Red, Belle Ile Blue and Thorium Grey. The Polar White wheels are available with the Belle Ile Blue or Cherry Red body colours and add Polar White painted side rubbing strips and a white rear number plate surround with chrome detailing. The Cherry Red alloy wheels are available with the Polar White or Thorium Grey body colours and bring Cherry Red painted side rubbing strips and a Cherry Red number plate surround with a chrome insert.
The new model’s refined and efficient diesel HDi 90 powerplant returns an impressive 61.4mpg on the combined cycle and is eligible for free VED in the first year thanks to its sub-120g/km CO2 emissions.
The C3 Picasso Code special edition is ‘on sale’ now priced from £15,695, which is just £300 more than the HDi 90 manual VTR+ version on which it is based.
| MODEL | ECONOMY (COMBINED) | CO2EMISSIONS | 1st YEAR VED | ‘ON THE ROAD‘ M.R.R.P. |
| C3 Picasso HDi 90 manual Code | 61.4mpg | 119g/km | £0 | £15,695 |