The Department for Infrastructure has been left counting the cost of road repairs across the country this week following extensive damage caused by motorists driving with snow chains on their tyres.
Last Thursday, Northern Ireland braced itself for heavy widespread snow on the advice of BBC Weatherman and now PSNI Craigavon’s most wanted, Barra Best. In preparation for the impending snowstorm, many motorists took the precaution of wrapping their tyres in snow chains for fear of sliding off the road into the nearest ditch, or Fermanagh.
When the snow failed to materialise, people continued about their routines with the chains still in place, fearful of a sudden blizzard. This has left many roads littered with potholes.
The M1 outside Lisburn this morning
“I thought snow was something that only happened in remote, far-away places like Canada or Tyrone,” said Frank Wilson, a Geography teacher from Belfast. “I’ve never even seen real snow before, but Barra scared the absolute wits out of me so I thought it better to be safe than sorry.”
Thankfully, the government has devised a novel, cut-price way to repair the damage.
“As we all know, the economy is stretched as it is without this latest road repair bill,” a government official told us. “What people might be surprised to learn is that we currently have a large surplus of wood pellets. Our early estimates indicate that this surplus should be more than enough to fill in all the potholes.”
In other news, ambitious plans to turn Belfast’s Ormeau Park into a Frozen-themed ski resort have been left in tatters.
