Crumbling roads in Dungannon require urgent repair, meeting told

DUNGANNON’S roads are in a dire state, with councillors demanding urgent action from the new Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Minister, Liz Kimmins.

At a recent Mid Ulster District Council meeting, the DUP’s Clement Cuthbertson painted a bleak picture of road maintenance, claiming DfI is so underfunded that staff aren’t even trained to put up fallen signs or clear storm debris.

“The potholes are crazy at the minute around Dungannon,” he said. “It’s diabolical.”

Independent councillor Barry Monteith echoed the frustration, describing the situation as an ‘absolute shambles’. He warned that contractors responsible for patching potholes had disappeared, leaving roads in an ‘unacceptable’ condition.

“Basically, councillors have become like clerical workers for DfI. That’s not our job. They cut the inspections down and the state of the roads is a bit of a joke on Facebook, but it’s also a very serious issue…

serious damage

“People are contacting me with serious damage carried out to their cars by potholes that have been reported weeks ago.”

“The public are rightly up-in-arms,” he added.

DUP councillor Frances Burton warned of the safety risk posed by missing or misaligned stop and give way signs.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” she stressed.

With no clear solution in sight, Sinn Féin’s Deirdre Varsani suggested the British Government in Westminster should divert funds from Ukraine aid to fix Northern Ireland’s roads.

“We would happily be able to spend that in the blink of an eye,” she added.