Fife Council have confirmed that public funds were not used to rectify the Bridge Street carriageway resurfacing, which began breaking down after just 7 days near Christmas.

The project to renew the surface on this busy Cowdenbeath route, totalling 980sq m, was initially started in late November 2025 as part of the Council’s ongoing carriageway patching work.

In a Freedom of Information response (FCIR:62220) the Council have said that the material mix was ‘out of specification’ which resulted in premature failure.

Hillhouse Group, the contractor responsible for the works on behalf of Fife Council, had to lift the surface after just a couple of weeks and relay the road using the correct mixture of materials. Over 320 man hours of work was required to put the work right, with an additional 3 days of traffic disruption just a week before Christmas.

Cowdenbeath’s Cllr Darren Watt previously stated on social media, “It’s an absolute disgrace and embarrassment that Bridge Street is somehow in an even worse condition following resurfacing works” and continued “road users continue to bear the brunt with escalating runnings costs, and the very least they deserve are road surfaces that are safe and fit for purpose.”

John Scott, a Director at local development group My Cowdenbeath, said: “Sometimes it feels like roadworks in Cowdenbeath are never ending and it takes us all so long to get from point A to point B. We’re glad the error was put right at no cost to the taxpayer, but it would be better if these costly mistakes didnt happen atall. Although the contractor is out of pocket, its always the motorist who suffers with the delays, not to mention the congestion outside folks homes for days on end.”

Pic credit: Darren Watt Facebook