Leader: One cheer only for the pothole tsar

FOUR water, power and telecommunications firms were yesterday fined for poorly completed roadworks. Openreach was ordered to pay £38,500, Scottish Water £38,000, Virgin Media £14,000 and Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution £2,000.

One might expect the fines to be greeted with three cheers by all of those motorists and cyclists who have been the victim of dangerous potholes caused by roads poorly repaired by the many companies who dig up our highways.

Yet if they look at the detail, the three cheers might become two, or even one. It turns out these are the first penalties to be issued by Scottish roadworks commissioner John Gooday since he was appointed five years ago.

It is simply fantastical to believe that up to now the firms that have been fined, and the many others who deploy armies of diggers and drills on our roads, have only recently transgressed. And most reasonable people will be surprised at the levels of fines which have been handed out when the pothole tsar – as he may not want to be called – can levy a maximum of £50,000.

The roads may be better repaired as a result of the fines, and threat of fines, but it will take a lot more hard, properly conducted work to repair the reputations of the firms responsible.