No compo for Bandon pothole's 11 victims

A CORK South West TD is calling on the County Council to reconsider their refusal to compensate any motorists who fell foul of a huge pothole on the N71 coming into Bandon from the city, just before Christmas.

Deputy Michael Collins, who witnessed a total of 11 motorists suffering punctures or damage to their cars, described the situation on Monday December 18th as ‘like a war zone.’

‘It happened by the Welcome to Bandon sign and it was indeed some welcome for these people trying to get to work. 

‘It was a kick in the teeth for them,’ Deputy Collins told The Southern Star.

‘It’s now astonishing to hear that Cork County Council won’t be paying out for anyone affected by this pothole and I’m urging the Council to reconsider it and compensate these motorists who, to be fair, were just going about their daily business.’

When contacted by The Southern Star, a spokesperson for the County Council said that the offending pothole in this instance was a recently formed one arising out of normal wear and tear and that a localised repair was put on the surface that morning.

‘It had not been reported, and therefore not repaired by our road crews. In these circumstances, Cork County Council is not liable for any damage caused and any claims submitted for damage sustained by this pothole would be denied.’

However, Deputy Collins claims that potholes in and around certain parts of Bandon have been there for five years or more, and have been pointed out to him.

‘Due to a lack of funding, proper repair jobs have not been carried out and in many cases potholes that are filled, re-open again within weeks.’

Deputy Collins raised the ‘disgraceful conditions’ of roads in West Cork, and in particular in Bandon, and its surrounds, in the Dáil on December 18th. 

He was told by Minister Brendan Griffin that extra funding would be allocated in the New Year. 

When Deputy Collins posted this issue on his Facebook page, it attracted thousands of views and comments about the general state of the roads network, not just in Bandon, but in West Cork in general.