Huge rise in road defects in Fermanagh and Omagh council area

THE number of defects on local roads rose by 53% in 2023-24 – the highest level recorded in five years.

The figures are included in a new report compiled by Fermanagh and Omagh District Council. The report highlights concerns over what the council views as a stark disparity in infrastructure investment compared to the other ten council areas in the North.

According to the report, it is ‘fair to conclude’ that the local road network has received consistently lower levels of defect identification and repair over the past five years – although the reasons for this remain unclear.

In 2019-20, 8,949 surface defects were repaired across the district.

This fell to a low of 7,412 in 2022-23, before jumping to 11,736 in 2023-24 – a 58 per-cent year-on-year increase.

Despite the rise, the report notes that the number of surface defects repaired per kilometre in Fermanagh and Omagh remains consistently below the Northern Ireland local government district average. Over the five-year period, this gap ranged between 0.9 and 1.4 fewer repairs per kilometre, placing the area among the lowest in the North.

There was more positive news in relation to the condition of ‘A’ and ‘B’ class roads.

The proportion of ‘A’ roads in good condition rose from 81.2 per-cent in 2019-20 to 85 per-cent in 2022-23.

While that figure dipped slightly the following year, it still remained above the average in other council areas in the North.

‘B’ class roads also showed gradual improvement, with the proportion in good condition increasing from 69.8 per cent to 73.1 per cent – though still below average.

The report also examines water infrastructure.

It states that NI Water prioritises investment based on a model of need, with decisions driven by capacity shortfall and environmental risk.