Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has announced that she is developing a fresh package of measures to address the significant damage caused to Northern Ireland's road network by recent extreme weather.

This new initiative will build upon the £30 million funding allocation previously announced just before Christmas.

The Minister highlighted the severe toll that January's weather has taken on road surfaces. The month began with freezing temperatures and snow, followed by record-breaking rainfall and the impact of Storm Chandra last week, which set new January precipitation records for the region.

Department officials have been tasked with identifying urgent works that can be delivered to remedy defects and mitigate future flooding risks caused by these changing weather patterns.

Minister Kimmins said: "I am all too aware of the impact the recent storm and cold weather has had across the road network and it is an issue I am taking very seriously. I have asked my officials to look at what can be urgently delivered through a package of measures specifically to tackle the impacts of recent severe weather conditions on our roads. "Changing weather patterns are bringing heavier rainfall and an increase in flooding and flood risk. In January alone we have seen the extremes – beginning with below average temperatures which resulted in snow, record rainfall and last week Storm Chandra which contributed to new January rainfall records for the North."

The Minister reaffirmed her commitment to improving maintenance standards despite the challenging conditions and noted that further details on the upcoming measures are expected in the next few days.

She continued: "Despite this, my department is committed to raising the standard of maintenance across the network. I announced a £30m package before Christmas and hope to announce the detail of a further package of measures in the coming days.

"I would encourage road users to continue to report of potholes and surface defects via the online portal. Maintenance staff will continue to inspect and make-safe defects by working to address the highest priority defects as fast as possible, in accordance with our policy to ensure the safety of the travelling public."

While the additional funding is being finalised, maintenance teams remain focused on identifying and repairing high-priority defects to ensure public safety across the network.