Tram staff return to plug new cracks and potholes in Princes Street

Contractors are expected to return to the street within weeks to begin repairs on the crumbling road following the completion of track laying work in November.

Tram chiefs insist the road will not be closed, however, with "traffic management" measures used while work is carried out.

Metal plates are currently being used to cover holes which have appeared in the road, to prevent further damage being caused by the Capital's buses.

News of the potholes follows the discovery in December that cracks had appeared in the road next to the newly laid tram tracks, leading critics to accuse tram firm TIE of carrying out a "rush job".

Tram workers worked through the night to have Princes Street ready in time for the Capital's Christmas celebrations at the end of November.

David Legge, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, said: "While I have some sympathy for the council because of the cold weather, a newly laid road should not be turning to potholes.

"You have to wonder whether the council is getting value for money from its contract."

Mandy Haeburn-Little, director of communications and customer services at TIE, said: "With a project of this scale there is often a minor amount of snagging work. This is especially the case when, if you recall, the weather during the period of the final road surface laying was bitterly cold and extremely wet.

"We would prefer to make any minor adjustments to the few areas where the weather has impacted the surface now and hence we are carrying this out."

She said some repair work had already begun, with resurfacing around the South Charlotte Street junction planned for the weekend of 27 and 28 February.

Meanwhile, work to lay tram tracks is yet to begin on Leith Walk and Shandwick Place due to an ongoing dispute with contractors.