Roads Service urge drivers to report potholes

It comes after the Star received a flood of complaints from drivers about potholes causing damage to their cars.

One motorist said he drove over one near Glenavy which caused damage to the wheel trim of his car. Another said he had to swerve to avoid one on the Lisburn Road which forced him onto the other side of the road, almost causing an accident.

A DRD spokesperson said they were aware of the problems and urged drivers to report complaints.

And she said that since October they had received an additional 8.5m to maintain and repair roads.

"There is no doubt that the coldest December for over 120 years has had an impact on our road network," said the spokesperson.

"The repeated freezing and thawing cycles has caused many carriageways to split and potholes to form and Roads Service is giving priority to the repair of the affected roads.

"Roads Service teams and contractors are working to ensure roads are kept safe.

"Whilst it will take time to assess the true extent of the damage, Roads Service has been undertaking a series of inspections and condition surveys to ensure the road network is maintained to defined standards and that serious road defects are detected and repaired as quickly as possible."

She continued: "In preparation for the winter period and the predicted impact to roads across the region, since October 2010 an additional 8.5 million has been allocated for roads maintenance and this will be used to deal with the effects of the recent cold spell including the purchase of additional salt as well as progressing programmes of work targeting the most severely affected roads.

"Members of the public can advise Roads Service on any new pothole location/s by contacting the relevant Road Service local office by phone or by logging the location on our 'report a fault' page on the our website: www.roadsni.gov.uk/"

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