Almost half a million pounds in compensation has been given to local road users for damage caused to vehicles as a result of road defects including potholes.

Mark Ovens, UUP local election candidate for Erne West, has revealed that over the past five years, more than 900 people locally have been successfully compensated by close to half a million pounds by the Department for Infrastructure largely due to personal injuries and damage to their vehicles caused by road defects.

Mr. Ovens, who is running in the hopes of succeeding retiring UUP Councillor Alex Baird, said: “The Department for Infrastructure has responsibility for the maintenance and repair of all the publicly maintained roads and footways locally.

“Whilst the crews are a common sight on our roads, in many parts of Northern Ireland there’s real frustration with the sheer number of potholes being reported, as well as the length of time repairs at times are taking.

“Potholes – especially on Fermanagh’s rural and mostly unlit roads – can present a real hazard to drivers.

“On top of tyre blowouts and damage to vehicles, sometimes the holes can be so big or in such a dangerous position on the road that they present a safety risk to drivers and their passengers.

“If a person’s property or vehicle has been damaged, or even if they’ve suffered a personal injury after a trip or a fall due to a problem with a road or street, then they can make a claim to the DfI for compensation,” he added.

Breaking down the figures given to him by the Department, Mr. Ovens said: “When I asked the Department for the figures relating to the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area, they told me that in the five years up to 2022 there had been 1,370 claims for compensation, of which 907 were successful.

“As a result, more than £464,000 has been paid out, with the vast majority likely to have been spent on vehicle repairs after damage caused by potholes.

“For far too long there has been a major underinvestment in the road network’s maintenance budget.

“That’s largely been as a direct result of the stop-start nature of a functioning Executive at Stormont, which in turn has failed to agree a multi-year budget at any point in the last eight years.

“Whilst many of the crews within DfI Roads are working as hard as they can, in reality the Department is failing to stay on top on the sheer number of repairs being reported.

“As a result, until the DfI have a budget in place that allows it to plan ahead and bring on the necessary staff and resources, I suspect the problem is still only going to get worse.”