KINGSEAT has been "effectively cut off" as the condition of the roads in and out of the village are so bad that residents won't use them.

That's the claim of Councillor Ian Ferguson after Fife Council decided to bring forward carriageway work and spend almost £250,000 on filling potholes and patching over defects.

At the City of Dunfermline area committee on Tuesday, he said: "I recognise Main Street is on the list but, effectively, at the moment, Kingseat is being cut off in every direction, whether that's coming from the hospital, Halbeath or Cowdenbeath.

"The roads are in such a mess that people are unwilling to travel on them.

"I would rather the Kingseat schemes were a higher priority otherwise the village can die as there's no way in or out."

Almost £220,000 for repair work on Main Street, from West Gateway to North Gateway, had already been scheduled but two category 2 schemes that were due to be carried out at a later date have now been brought forward.

Neil Watson, lead consultant in roads and lighting asset management for the council, said that £28,000 of improvements will be carried out on Kingseat Road, from Main Street to Lochwood Park, while £115,000 of improvements to Cuddyhouse Road, heading 500 metres east out of the village from Keirsbeath Court, will also be done in 2022-23.

He explained: "Because we've got extra money in the planned patching carriageway budget, we can do some of the category 2 work this year."

Cllr Helen Law said: "Neil has had a number of discussions with me about the urgency for Kingseat and trying to get it all done together rather than in bits and pieces. We have made an agreement on that.

"I was at the community council meeting last night and they were delighted that the work is going ahead.

"I did assure them it will be pulled together as one single project and folk will be very grateful as it is a mess."

Mr Watson added that extra cash for patching meant further work would be carried out on Cuddyhouse Road, as well as Lundin Road in Crossford, part of Cairncubie Road in Dunfermline and the dual carriageway next to Asda Halbeath.

The committee also welcomed plans for £154,000 of road repairs at Main Street, Crossford, from Lundin Road to Meadowend and including the junctions with Knockhouse Road and Waggon Road.

In addition, there's also just over £43,000 for carriageway improvements to Skye Road in Dunfermline, between Allan Crescent and Clunie Road.

A further £248,000 will be spent this year on footways and pavements, with work to be carried out at Townhill Road, Baldridgeburn, Golfdrum Street, Halbeath Road and Turnbull Grove, all in Dunfermline.

On Birrel Drive in Dunfermline, £30,000 of speed cushions are planned while other road safety and traffic management schemes include £25,000 for a new footway at Glendevon Farm, off Waggon Road in Crossford, £15,000 for a raised table crossing on Kellock Avenue and £35,000 for raised tables/speed cushions on Pitcorthie Drive, both in Dunfermline.

And there's £207,000 to continue replacing street lights, with projects in Crossford and south Dunfermline.

Mr Watson said there was concern about the state of the roads in future as the current budget for carriageways, footways, road safety and traffic management in Fife, which is £8.5 million for 2022-23, is to drop to around £5m in 2023-24.

He added: "That's quite a drop but the new administration will have a chance to look at that and perhaps give us some more money."