Roads minister O'Dowd announces additional £1m to fix potholes on Northern Ireland’s roads

An additional £1million has been allocated to repair potholes on Northern Ireland’s roads, Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd has said.

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

Mr O’Dowd said the funding is to be spent in the coming weeks before the end of this financial year.

He said currently around 7,000 potholes a month are fixed, but more needs to be done to repair Northern Ireland's road network.

The minister 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 have 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 £1million investment today 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.”

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