FERMANAGH residents could not hide their anger after new government data revealed that potholed roads in the county have surged by 90 per cent.
Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd said yesterday an additional £1 million is to be invested in road maintenance and specifically the pothole problem, but this amount won’t even begin to resolve the issue.
The new data analysed by CompareNI.com shows there were 9,733 potholes recorded on roads in the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area in 2023, an increase of 90 per cent from the previous year.
This was significantly higher than any other council area – in comparison, Mid and East Antrim saw the second biggest increase in potholes which was 34 per cent.
Angry Fermanagh Herald readers did not hold back on hearing the news and reacted furiously on the Herald’s Facebook page.
“The roundabout near Lidl in Lisnaskea is a disgrace,” one person posted. Another wrote: “The main road from Lisnaskea to Newtownbutler is an absolute joke. Looks more like a jigsaw every day.”
“The Wattlebridge Road from the border to Newtownbutler is a disgrace,” a disgruntled reader also posted.
Other posts highlighted how little is being done to rectify the problem. “When was the last time ya seen them even trying to fix them!” summed up the feelings of many who commented. At least one reader could see the funny side calling the situation a ‘holy ta ra’.
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