Mounting cost of repairs

Sam Gardiner, the Ulster Unionist Assembly Member for Upper Bann, has revealed that spending on road repairs due to winter damage had increased by over 20 per cent over this period last year and by 75% over the figure four years ago.

Mr Gardiner said: “I asked the Roads Minister for his assessment of the additional damage to the road system caused by the higher incidence of freezing temperatures over the past winter.

"He told me that the recent repeated freezing and thawing cycle has had a damaging effect on the road network causing the carriageway to split and potholes to form and that expenditure in the first two months of this year in consequent road repairs had increased from 37,694 last year to 45,523 this year. In fact this figure had increased from only 26,744 for the same period four years ago.

“This cycle of winter damage to our roads is clearly getting worse year on year. This is almost certainly due in part to the overall deterioration in our road system. In his budget the Chancellor announced additional funding for roads but none of this is coming to Northern Ireland at present.

"The additional overall amount received by the NI Executive is distributed between departments on the decision of our local Executive. I would call on the Roads Minister to replicate what is being done in England as we are already well behind England in our spending per mile on road repairs.”