Burst pipes were one of the most tangible impacts of the big freeze and rapid thaw that hit Ayrshire last month.
However, the extreme weather changes have also had a massive impact on Ayrshire, giving roads services in North, East and South Ayrshire an extra headache.
Drivers across Ayrshire have been faced with large potholes during their journeys, often in areas that aren't the usual pothole hotspots.
This is another result of the freeze-thaw cycle, particularly in December when the temperature rose from a low of around -10C to a high of 14C in just one day.
Ayrshire Roads Alliance, which maintains roads in East and South Ayrshire, was already facing unprecedented financial constraints, halting its roads programme early after inflation rapidly ate up its £8.7m combined budget for East and South Ayrshire.
In November, Kevin Braidwood, Head of Roads at ARA, insisted roads would be repaired where and when required.
But the additional burden of the weather damage means that more of a financial burden will be placed on ARA.
Mr Braidwood said: "Due to extremely low temperatures leading up to the holiday and subsequent heavy rain that followed, the network has experienced some defects as a result of salt treatment, thawing and excessive rain leading to surface water damage of weak spots and traffic loading.
"All our roads are inspected on a risk based approach as per the National Code of Practice ‘ Well Managed Highways Infrastructure’ and we are aware of the network condition.
"This will impact on our budget for repairs along with current pressures, i.e cost of oil based products and fuel."
North Ayrshire Council also admitted to being under pressure.
A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “Cold and wet weather is a problem that all roads services face at this time of year, and we have a system in place to deal with issues if and when they arise.
“The Roads Service have an approved Roads Asset Safety Inspection Policy and follow the recommendations contained in the Well Maintained Highway Infrastructure – Code of Practice for undertaking road safety inspections, categorising defects and setting response times for the repair of defects.
“Unfortunately, at peak periods during the winter, it may not be possible to meet response times due to pressure on resources.
“This could, but not exclusively, be due to the high number of defects that can arise in a short period of time after periods of adverse weather, such as prolonged spells of heavy rain or snow, or freeze / thaw conditions.
“Prolonged periods of adverse weather may also prevent remedial measures being carried out.”
The planned roads programme takes into account the 'natural' deterioration of the road surface.
As the maintenance programme has been curtailed the surfaces inevitable deteriorate further. One result of this is that water is able to penetrate further into the road surface.
This is particularly problematic when it comes to the type of freezing and thawing we have seen recently.
The water under the road surface expands and contracts when it freezes and then thaws. This begins to break up the binding material in the roads and, as the upper layers of the road are more susceptible, the road begins to break up.
The pothole itself can then lead to an acceleration of water penetrating into the lower material. Another freeze and thaw cycle then continues the deterioration.
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
