By Ronan Scott
A NEWCASTLE resident has expressed his frustration at the ‘crater-like’ pothole that wrecked a wheel on his car recently.
Anthony Tilley contacted the Mourne Observer last week.
“I was driving on the Bann Road and I hit a crater. It was not a pothole, it was a crater,” he said.
“I hit it and it just destroyed the whole wheel. The wheel completely buckled.
“I am angry that these potholes aren’t being repaired.
“Why do we pay road tax if these things aren’t being fixed?”
Such was his annoyance, he made sure to take photographs of the pothole, which was illuminated by car headlights.
“I saw people who had hit the pothole the night before, but I forgot about it when I was driving home,” Athony added.
“There have been a few people who have hit the pothole.”
Anthony is in the process of making a claim for compensation.
He said that he feels the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) needs to do more to fix the roads.
“I just don’t know why it hasn’t been fixed. It isn’t even marked yellow.”
Anthony has contacted the Department for Infrastructure to make them aware of the pothole.
The Mourne Observer contacted the DfI for a comment.
In response a spokesperson for the department said the harsh winter weather has taken “a severe toll” on many roads.
“Minister Kimmins has established a £7.85m Winter Recovery Road Fund to allow an urgent and direct focus on repairing the surface defects which are causing the most concern, with the winter period having taken a severe toll on the road network, including on some road defects previously repaired,” the DfI spokesperson stated.
“50,000 defects have been recorded in the last three months alone, which is close to half the total for the whole of the previous year.”
The spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure added that the local road on which Mr Tilley’s vehicle was damaged has since been inspected.
“The Bann Road was inspected earlier this week and all defects that meet the criteria for repair in accordance with the Department’s current limited-service policy have been identified and prioritised.
“Regular inspections of the road network are continuing.
“Defects meeting the intervention level will be taken forward for repair as the Department continues to work hard to ensure funding is targeted at areas of greatest need.
“The public can report potholes via the NIDirect website at www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/report-pothole-or-other-surface-defect.”
