An ambitious plan to blitz thousands of potholes will see crews of road workers going flat-out in an attempt to rid roads of the menace.

Renfrewshire Council aims to fill 6000 potholes across the area in just 20 days, concentrating on the rural roads around the Paisley and Renfrew.

There is no recognised world record for pothole filling, however the campaign by Renfrewshire compares favourably with the efforts of crews in several north American authorities, who annually engage in a pothole filling frenzy after the winter has wreaked havoc with the Tarmac.

Councillor Marie McGurk, of Renfrewshire Council's Environment and Infrastructure board, got the attempt under way yesterday by applying the first shovelful into a hole in Paisley.

Over the next 20 days, if the 28 workers are to hit the target they will need to fill 37 holes an hour at an average cost of £33 per hole.

A wetter than normal winter has led to more potholes on the roads, leading councillors to decide that a targeted campaign was needed.

Ms McGurk said, "The wet winter did serious damage to our roads and rural routes.

"Over the next few weeks we're spending £10,000 a day filling the potholes that have sprouted on the rural routes over the winter.

"There has been a definite increase in rainfall and it has a serious effect on our roads.

"Keeping Renfrewshire's roads in good condition is a full-time job and the council works very hard on maintaining them."