Cape Wrath minibus operator fixes Britain’s ‘deepest pothole’ himself after two-week council blitz
A giant pothole on a remote Sutherland road - described as the biggest in Britain - has been repaired, with a huge metal plate.
Mini-bus driver Stuart Ross carried out the temporary patch-up himself after council bosses mounted a month-long pothole blitz on arguably the least used road in the country, which goes through a bombing range.
After Mr Ross's mini-bus service that takes tourists to remote Cape Wrath had to cease because of "waist deep" potholes, Highland Council began a two-week blitz, dubbed ‘Operation Pothole’ which ended on Thursday.
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But Mr Ross, the operator of Cape Wrath Mini Bus, who is seeking compensation from Highland Council for not repairing the road - officially known as the U70 - said the patch-up was only temporary.
He said he had to carry out the repair himself so he could at least drive over it.
A recent passenger was the comedian and Strictly Come Dancing champion Bill Bailey who had just completed the gruelling 249-mile long Cape Wrath Trail.
Mr Ross first pointed out the issue to the council in February following prolonged storms which worsened the road.
But he had to cancel all his bookings for the seasonal service until the end of June.
"I ended up finding a thick metal plate and put it over the deepest hole myself," he said.
"The council feel they are not obliged to give my business any compensation, so I have contacted my elected representatives.
"I will be pursuing compensation, and I will not give up until the council realise that because of their neglect, they caused me to loose £10,000 plus in trade.
"I am more than disappointed in their uninterested attitude and lack of compassion towards small fragile Highland businesses, that rely on seasonal revenue to survive .
"The machine drivers have done the best they can in the time allocated and the road is now in a passable condition. But it still takes a one hour drive to travel 11 miles to the lighthouse .
"The council ended up sub contracting the work out to a local company for four weeks and hiring in two diggers and a tracked dumper. The work will end this Thursday, with the start of my season now Friday, loosing seven weeks of trade that we will never get back."
Local Highland Councillor Hugh Morrison, who owns the Smoo Cave Hotel at Durness, said: "The situation will be re-assessed for a more permanent solution later in the year.
“It is very frustrating and it should not have come to this - but at least things are moving now."
A spokesperson for Highland Council said: “A contractor has been appointed to undertake repair works to the Cape Wrath road to make the road passable for the coming season."
The decision not to pay compensation was based on legal advice.
