RURAL ROAD users are concerned about the number of potholes appearing on their roads, and are angry that road maintenance doesn't seem to be happening.

In 2015/16, pothole compensation claims in Scotland rose, adding to a total of 31,483 claims in the UK as a whole, attracting a payout of £1,784,238 for vehicle damage, according to the RAC Foundation.

But rural drivers are not happy with pay-outs after damage is caused – they want more done to improve rural road conditions to avoid the damage in the first place

Iain Dunlop, of South Biggart Farm, Lugton, said: "I'm a dairy farmer, and it's essential for me to have access to local and main roads. I was just driving along our local roads the other day and I couldn't believe the mess they were in. It's so annoying, particularly if you're pulling machines along behind a tractor, because it can totally ruin the wheel bearings.

"Potholes aren't the only problem with our roads," added Mr Dunlop. "Every year, the council sends workers out to dig gullies into the sides of the roads, in order to drain water away – but they make them far too deep, and too wide, and it's making the roads crumble away at the edges, ruining them.

"These gullies don't actually seem to take much of the water away, and I can't help but wonder if it's all the flooding, and lack of drains, that's causing the potholes. The gullies make it really difficult to pass other vehicles safely, and more and more potholes are just popping up every day because of it," he said.

Kim Erskine, of Kilwinning, added: "I was driving home one night recently, and I heard an almighty clatter. I immediately knew I'd gone through a pothole, and got a puncture. Luckily, I had a family member nearby who was able to come and assist me, but I just found the whole experience really annoying, especially when it was through no fault of my own.

"You see new potholes appearing every day, some of them that span across the middle of the road, and not a whole lot seems to be getting done about it, which is frustrating."

In response to these claims, head of roads at the Ayrshire Roads Alliance, Stewart Turner, said: “Road repair and maintenance is a national issue and East and South Ayrshire is no exception. With public sector finances under enormous pressure, we face huge difficulties in delivering services with decreasing resources, effectively trying to do more with less and the network of small rural roads in this area is especially challenging.

“However, we’d strongly refute the suggestion that local roads are covered in potholes and are difficult to commute on. That is simply not the case," he insisted. “In the year ahead, we have a capital budget approaching £6 million to help tackle road issues such as potholes, repairs and lighting.

“We have a rigorous inspection and repair programme based on need and priority and, in March 2017, we were pleased to report to both East and South Ayrshire Councils that local road conditions are actually improving."

A Transport Scotland spokesperson added: “We are increasing the maintenance budget for trunk roads from £165 million in 2016/2017 to over £199 million in 2017/2018 which will enable safety work, inspections and bridge maintenance to be carried out with additional repairs to road surfaces to address potholes and other defects."