Bonfire cost nearly quarter of bill

A NATIONALIST bonfire in Londonderry cost Roads Service nearly one quarter of the entire clean up bill for Northern Ireland last summer.

The August 15 internment bonfire on the Lecky Road in the Bogside cost the Department of Regional Development (DRD) 20,000 in road repairs.

Roads Minister Conor Murphy said Roads Service has estimated that it cost approximately 84,000 to clean and repair bonfire sites during the summer of 2009.

He added: "I should advise that this figure includes approximately 20,000 to repair fire and structural damage to the concrete and road surface of the Lecky Road Flyover in Derry."

Last summer Derry City Council also spent 6,795 cleaning up after the Lecky Road bonfire.