Politicians are being warned of fatalities if crumbling roads in many parts of the north of Scotland are not urgently repaired.

Accident victims and drivers hit in the wallet have been sharing their experiences and say the volume of potholes has become chronic.

In Caithness, local area Highland councillors have confirmed the authority can only afford to fix 13 of 200 troublespots.

It is not difficult to find casualties. A cyclist was left with a long-term injury after hitting potholes after avoiding an oncoming car.

Lois Gray, a university lecturer from Castletown, said: “I hadn’t appreciated quite how deep they were and the very last one had a very straight edge, so my front tyre hit that very straight edge, threw me off and my knee took the straight edge as well.

“I was cut down thorough the skin and muscle almost to the bone on my knee.”

Car driver Elizabeth Jones, whose vehicle suffered broken suspension after hitting a deep pothole, said road conditions had deteriorated significantly since she had moved to Castletown.

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