The Scottish Tory leader said a national pothole action fund would address

The SNP has ignored fixing Scotland’s “dangerous” pothole problem while “wasting” billions of pounds in other areas, the Scottish Conservative leader has claimed.

Speaking from a street off Scotstounhill train station in Glasgow , Russell Findlay said the SNP Government has ignored the issue.

He said potholes cause accidents where those affected can claim damages from councils, ultimately at the cost of the taxpayer.

On Monday morning, Mr Findlay was joined by Scottish Conservative voters as he discussed his party’s plans for a national pothole action fund, which would aim to address the problem if they get into power.

He told the Press Association: “We’re here today because we could have been standing, frankly, in any street in Scotland to see potholes as bad as these.

“Motorists are trying to go to work, go about their daily business and, more often than not, they’re encountering these highly dangerous potholes.

“And they’re not just dangerous, they’re not just causing accidents, but they’re also costing taxpayers huge sums of money because, more often than not, cars going through these things end up being subject to costly repairs, and the cost of those repairs is very often claimed by motorists from councils, quite rightly.”
He said the pothole fund would see roads repaired with better equipment to ensure they do not return, and the Tories would also give the Scottish Roadworks Commissioner more power to take action against roadworks companies who fail to deliver an adequate service.

Mr Findlay said: “It’s so frustrating.

You go to some parts of Scotland and you see vast sums of money being spent on new lands, hard landscaping, on cycle lanes, on paths, and it all looks lovely…
“Sometimes this looks like a third-world country we’re in if you look at the mess the SNP have made of our streets.”
He added: “We’ve identified six billion pounds worth of SNP waste.

You don’t have to look too far to see examples of that.

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“They spent almost half a billion pounds on two dodgy ferries that will never be right.

They’re about to spend over a billion pounds on a prison that they said would cost 100 million pounds.”
A YouGov poll, released on Friday, said the Scottish Conservatives are predicted to win just seven seats in the upcoming election, placing them in last place.

Asked if he is concerned by the poll, Mr Findlay said: “I’m losing track of all these polls.

There is only one poll that matters, and that’s on May 7, when the people of Scotland decide we need to get the SNP out.

“We need to stop an SNP majority, and people across Scotland know that they’ve got a secret weapon to do so, a secret weapon that they used to great success in 2021 and 2016, and that’s to use their peach-coloured ballot paper to back the Scottish Conservatives.”
Responding to Mr Findlay’s comments on potholes, Calum Kerr, SNP candidate for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, said: “Russell Findlay is deeply unserious – just last week he said he would slash support for children and disabled people to pay for tax cuts for millionaires.

“The SNP delivered record funding of £15.7 billion for councils in the Scottish budget so to tackle issues like potholes and our serious, considered plans going forward will be set out in the coming days.

That’s what you get from the SNP under John Swinney’s strong leadership rather than soundbites from Russell Findlay.

“The real war on Scotland’s motorists at this election is being waged by the Labour Party’s complete lack of action to bring prices under control – leaving Scottish drivers struggling to fill their cars each time they go to the pumps.

“The best deal for Scotland will always be delivered by the strong, experienced leadership of John Swinney which is putting the priorities of the people of Scotland first – improving the NHS , supporting people with the cost of living and delivering the fresh start of independence.”