TORN-UP roads already plague our communities and council plans to cut overtime bills must not inflict further pain on South Lanarkshire.

The call from the county’s Scottish Conservative Group came after it emerged the authority planned to only carry out non-emergency resurfacing and repairs during the standard working week.

Restricting weekend roadworks was outlined as a way of saving £98,000 per year in overtime costs.

Conservative councillors warned the move would risk inflicting misery on the area’s drivers, as roads would be closed for longer due to repair crews downing-tools overnight and at weekends.

At the council’s executive committee on Wednesday (27 September) the leader of the opposition Tories called for a different approach.

Councillor Alex Allison said: “It is incredibly frustrating to be diverted or delayed by roadworks at times when absolutely no work is actually being done, and our residents are absolutely fed-up with unnecessary road closures.

“Reducing the overtime budget is important but the impact on communities has to be considered when decisions are made.

“The proposal put forward was that overtime would only be authorised for emergency cover or critical work, but we believe overtime should be considered on a case-by-case basis to minimise disruption to people’s lives.

“There are routes where a partial closure means significant traffic jams, or where full closures require diversions of up to 30 miles.

“This has a massive impact on people trying to get to schools, work or medical appointments. It also hurts local business by driving away their customers.

“In cases like these it is only right that the council authorise overtime to allow roadworks to be carried out overnight and at weekends, so they are completed faster and cause the least disruption to our communities.”

Following the Conservatives’ intervention an assurance was given that council officials would consider authorising overtime for roadworks where it is needed to minimise the length of disruption.