Road closed after pothole causes punctures to car tyres

A BUSY street was closed to traffic after a giant pothole appeared in the road causing punctures to a number of cars.

The hole appeared on the A701 in Penicuik on Thursday night, forcing the road to be closed to vehicles until yesterday morning.

It is understood the police were contacted after a number of drivers reported punctures to their tyres after hitting the pothole.

A spokesman for Midlothian Council said repairs had since been carried out.

He said: "We can confirm that a pothole was made safe on the A701 southbound, on the outskirts of Penicuik, around 8pm on Thursday night.

"However, police decided to close the road until a repair was carried out and completed by 9.30am this morning."

Councils are being given an extra 15m from the Scottish Government to help fix damage to Scotland's roads caused by the winter weather. The funding is three times the amount paid out last year. A Government spokesman said the money would be available for urgent repairs on roads and to cover the extra costs of winter roads maintenance.