Local authorities across Ireland have paid out close to €1 million in compensation to motorists for pothole-related damage over the past three years, according to newly released Freedom of Information data. The figures also reveal that more than 48,000 complaints have been lodged during the same period, highlighting the growing frustration over the deteriorating condition of Irish roads.
Wexford ranks 9th in the country for pothole complaints
Rosslare Councillor Jim Codd says the statistics come as “no surprise” and reflect what rural communities have been enduring for years.
“This comes as no surprise to me that Wexford County Council is paying out for cars being broken up on our roads. You know, we in rural Wexford pay our road tax as well and are entitled to have roads that we can travel,” Codd said.
He pointed out that while neighbouring counties often have visibly better roads, Wexford continues to fall behind, largely due to overstretched council teams and limited funding.
“Our roads are much worse than our neighbouring ones. We need extra money to bring them up to standard. And the reality is we have a long wet winter. During that long wet winter, it is near on pointless filling the potholes because they’re washed out immediately afterwards,” he explained.
Speaking to South East Radio News the councillor described a cycle where road crews are caught between resurfacing projects and short windows of dry weather, making it nearly impossible to address the backlog of potholes before the wet season returns.
“We need all hands on deck to fill the potholes now in the good weather. But the problem is our teams are resurfacing roads like the New Line. By the time that’s done, it’ll be wet again, and we’ll be back to square one.”
According to Codd, the damage isn’t just financial—it’s also eroding public trust. He noted that some residents have been so frustrated by the lack of action that they’ve considered blocking roads with bales to force attention to the issue.
“It’s so bad. I’ve had neighbours, friends, and constituents of mine say they would put bales across the road and block them. It’s not as pronounced in the summertime, but come winter, when those potholes are filled with water, people are driving into them, bursting tires, destroying alloys, breaking shocks and springs.”
The councillor also warned about the impact on tourism and first impressions, especially for visitors arriving in Wexford.
“This is the first county when people come in through us. This is where they should be traveling down to beautiful places like Bannow, Cullenstown and Kilmore. But when they wander off the main roads, they’re hit by these roads riddled with potholes.”
