Local authorities to be ‘named and shamed’ on pothole website

LOCAL authorities that fail to repair dangerous potholes on roads throughout the country will be named and shamed as part of a new online campaign.

In response to the damage caused by the January freeze, www.ripoffireland.org founder David Wall has set up a website to address the need for vital maintenance.

As part of the independent www.potholes.ie campaign, anyone affected by pothole damage has been urged to log on to the website and report details of their complaint.

This information will be sent immediately to participating city and county councils who will be asked to repair the damage caused – a step which has allegedly failed to take place inrecent weeks.

While commuters are continuing to highlight potholes across the country that were first reported last month, a Department of Transport spokeswoman said the office was addressing the matter.

She said the “important thing to note” was that €411 million was set aside for regional and rural road development on Monday, with a further €180m road repairs fund also available.

Mr Wall said he hopedlocal authorities would react quickly to the issues raised, despite the fact that councils have previously insisted they are not legally responsible for road maintenance claims.

However, if local authorities fail to react swiftly to the information, the online campaign’s founder said they will be named and shamed on the website. “People are delighted to have somewhere where they can actually report their potholes and have their say,” Mr Wall told RTÉ’s Gerry Ryan Show.

“We also have a reporting system, so it will automatically send the details to the councils. If they still don’t fix them [the potholes] the website will show that,” he added.

Meath has topped the list as the county with the most complaints on the website so far.