Extra £1m announced to tackle potholes in Northern Ireland

By Tara Griffiths

An additional £1 million has been allocated to repair potholes on Northern Ireland's road network, the Stormont Infrastructure Minister has announced.

There were an estimated 110,000 potholes across the region, according to government data analysed by CompareNI.com last month.

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said the funding is to be spent before the end of this financial year in a number of weeks.

He said currently around 7,000 potholes a month are fixed, but more needs to be done.

Mr O'Dowd blamed underinvestment and the impact of climate change for severe damage to some roads.

"This extra allocation will go some way to address the roads with the most significant need," he said.

"Unfortunately, a number of factors has recently made the situation worse. For the last decade the department has been operating in a challenging financial position due to British Government cuts and austerity which has had an impact on road maintenance activities and the overall condition of the road network.

"Add to that, the impact of climate change, with the wettest October in over 153 years of records, which caused severe damage to some roads across the north."

The minister added: "This £1 million investment is the start of addressing the problem. It's a statement of intent that I will seek out the investment to improve our road networks for motorists and cyclists."