Potholes causing disruption and damage for Fermanagh drivers
THE state of Fermanagh’s roads has been raised again after a Fermanagh family shared how their car was damaged when they hit a pothole on a rural road.
A father who was travelling with his family described the pothole situated near the site of the former Carrybridge Hotel outside Lisbellaw as
“unavoidable and dangerous”.
It is understood that several motorists have reported damaging their vehicles in the hole.
The concerned motorist said: “We were driving down the road when suddenly we hit it as did the car in front. It was covered in water after the heavy rain and almost impossible to see.
“We were left shaking after hitting it. It has made us worried about other motorists, especially at night. We hope it gets fixed soon.”
The motorist has been told that it will cost “hundreds of pounds to fix”.
This family are not the only local people to be faced with serious costs as a result of the state of Fermanagh’s roads.
One man contacted this newspaper to report that days after buying a new car he had to replace a tyre after hitting a pothole in the Brookeborough area, much to his anger and frustration.
The motorist described the pothole situated near on the Anaghgrane Road near Tullyreagh Cross as “two and a half feet wide and long”. The pothole was filled in shortly after the incident occurred.
He recounted the story of a relation who travels as part of their job damaging their car between Trillick and Tempo as a result of a pothole.
Deborah Erskine, DUP MLA and Chair of the Infrastructure Committee was asked about issues surrounding potholes and the general condition of the roads in Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
She said: “Recently Minister O’dowd announced a £1million fund for potholes, however once split across all divisions in Northern
Ireland, it won’t amount to much on the ground.
“Whilst investment such as £ 1 million for potholes and £ 8.1 million for resurfacing schemes is welcome, it is a drop in the ocean to the actual investment that is needed.”
Mrs. Erskine says that the Department of Infrastructure staff are doing “what they can within the budget available to them”.
Encouraging people to report potholes, she said:
“A number of weeks ago I asked Minister O’dowd for a targeted, ring-fenced funding pot for rural roads. The Minister has said he is minded to do this, so I will be continuing to make the case. In the meantime, I would encourage the public to keep reporting potholes, either to elected representatives or via the Department for Infrastructure online system. Potholes will not get fixed if we do not know about them.”