Up to 3,000 new potholes created in Louth due to bad weather

There are up to 3,000 new potholes on Louth's roads due to recent heavy rainfall, according to Louth County Council. 

Councillors raised concerns at the February meeting of Louth County Council, that roads in the county had significantly deteriorated in recent weeks. 

David Hanratty, Director of Services, Operations and Environment Delivery with Louth County Council confirmed a report carried out by the local authority's operations team had identified between 2,000 and 3,000 new potholes across the county. 

Sinn Féin councillor for Dundalk/Carlingford Antóin Watters said areas such as Ballagan and Whitestown are facing a "really dangerous situation" and is at risk of losing "a lot of the road network". 

Louth County Council confirmed it has applied to the Department of Transport for emergency funding of €1.2 million for repair works. 

Mr Hanratty said it could take up to eight weeks to complete the relevant repairs.

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At this month's Drogheda Borough District meeting, Mark Johnston, Senior Engineer with the Louth County Council described the roads as "riddled with potholes" but called on councillors to remain patient. 

Mr Johnston said lying water on the roads "equals potholes", and explained that the water "eats down into the cracks" weakening the road surface.

Councillors were told, Storm Chandra had accelerated the formation of potholes. 

Independent councillor for Dundalk Maeve Yore said she "couldn't tell you the last time" she saw Louth County Council's pothole machine in the Dundalk Municipal District, and questioned how many hours it works per week. 

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.