Road to ruin?

A QUESTION mark has arisen over the ownership of a road leading to one of the Borough's biggest attractions, which a Limavady family says has become a 'minefield' of potholes.

Reader Alana Harkin has said it is "beyond her" why no one has not yet been seriously injured on the Roe Mill Road leading towards the Roe Valley Country Park and O'Cahan's Rock in Limavady.

She says that her mother, Theresa, has been campaigning for years to get something done about the state of the road surface.

"The road is a minefield of pot-holes yet the Roads Service and Northern Ireland Environement Agency deny 'owning' the road, therefore the issue is never resolved," she said.

"How someone has not fallen and broken bones is beyond me, or maybe they have and are unable to make a claim because no-ones 'owns' the road.

"If you venture up the Roemill Road you will see for yourself the state it is in. Surely such an important feature of the town should be kept in better condition."

A spokeswoman from the Roads Service has told the Sentinel that the road does not come under the body's remit.

However a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Enviroment Agency, which owns and runs the Roe Valley Country Park said that it does not have responsibility either.

A DOE spokesman said: "A section of the road leading from Roe Mill Road to O'Cahan's Rock Car Park is in a poor state of repair.

"The road in question, as far as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) can determine, is not owned by DOE and does not appear on any current NIEA deeds of ownership.

"NIEA is currently looking into the issue to determine where ownership and responsibility for upkeep lies.

"The Agency has, in the past, repaired these potholes on a 'without prejudice' basis, admitting no liability for upkeep. However the road condition is now so bad that repairs are no longer feasible and a complete resurfacing job is required for this section.

"If research into ownership indicates that NIEA has any liability for upkeep, the Agency will contribute its share to the costs of resurfacing and maintaining this stretch of road."

O'Cahan's Rock is one of Limavady's main historical points in the Roe Valley Country Park.

This is where, according to local myth, a dog belonging to one of the Chiefs jumped the river to get help from nearby clans after a surprise enemy attack.

This gave Limavady its name, Limavady being the anglicised version of Leim an Mhadaidh, which means leap of the dog.

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