A retired teacher is worried about the safety of major roads in the Garnock Valley, but thinks the council is too busy with other towns to fix the problem.

Seumas McQuaker says the surface of the B780 and B777 between Kilbirnie Cross and Glengarnock Station is “appalling and a disgrace.”

He said: “They’re pitted and full of cracks and bumps that make it very difficult.

"As a cyclist, I’m having to ride further and further out the way to avoid potentially deadly potholes and uneven surfaces.

“The consequences of this is traffic coming up behind me and giving me the fright of my life honking their horns.

“What I don’t understand is these two sections of road have very high levels of traffic, yet they don’t seem to be the main priority. A lot of heavy load vehicles have to come through that way and that compounds the problem.

“The full length of the road has been resurfaced at Irvine Harbourside and the volume of traffic on that can’t be the same as here. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why prioritise with quieter roads?”

A council spokesperson said: “This year’s road maintenance programme is based on robust inspection data and funding is prioritised and allocated across all areas of North Ayrshire as effectively as possible.

"We operate an asset management approach to road maintenance and undertake condition assessments of all our roads on an annual basis to produce a long-term investment programme for maintaining our road network.

"Our approach takes account of road condition, deterioration rates based on historical information for our road network and prioritisation criteria established to meet local priorities.

"It uses lifecycle planning to allocate road maintenance efficiently, making optimum use of the available budget. In addition, essential safety repairs arising throughout the year are also regularly carried out as required. This approach ensures an appropriate prioritisation of works in line with available budgets.”