Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins has announced an additional £2.5 million allocation for essential road maintenance, aimed at addressing the significant deterioration caused by recent severe weather.

This latest injection brings the total investment in the road network to more than £40 million since December.

The funding follows the recent establishment of a £7.85 million Winter Recovery Road Fund and the rollout of 40 resurfacing schemes initiated after a £30 million monitoring allocation late last year. The Department is now prioritising the repair of surface defects and potholes that have emerged across various divisions during the winter months.

To ensure the funding translates into immediate action, the Minister confirmed that officials have successfully engaged with external contractors to bolster the existing workforce. This move is designed to maximise the volume of repairs that can be completed before the end of the current financial year. Minister Kimmins stated: "I am committed to doing all I can to improve our roads and am pleased today to confirm additional funding of £2.5m which will be allocated for essential roads maintenance in this financial year. Everyone will by now be all too aware of the toll on our road network due to recent severe conditions."

She added: "I had asked my officials to explore as a matter of urgency every avenue to maximise our available workforce capacity to ensure we are doing as much as we can. Following engagement with our contractors we have secured additional capacity which will allow us to carry out essential repairs across our roads divisions."

The Department continues to operate a priority-based system for road repairs, focusing on the most hazardous defects first. The public is being urged to assist by using the official online portal to report potholes and other surface issues.

"I would encourage the public to continue to report potholes and other surface defects via the online portal," the Minister concluded. "We will continue to inspect and make-safe defects by working to address the highest priority defects as quickly as we can."