Motorists were left counting the cost at the weekend after running over ‘giant’ potholes on the main Derry to Belfast road, it has been revealed.
Countless drivers claimed they burst tyres and damaged rims after hitting potholes on the A6 Glenshane Road on the approach to the Castledawson roundabout on Friday and Saturday.
One man claimed his wheel rim was badly damaged after he drove over the pothole on Friday evening.
Speaking to the County Derry Post, the man, who did not want to be named, said he was on his way to Toome when he hit the hole.
“I was driving along and next thing I heard the bang. I knew I had hit a pothole but I didn’t see it as it was dark.
“I had to pull onto the hard shoulder as I didn’t want to continue driving and cause further damage to the rim.
“By the time I got the spare wheel on, two other motorists had pulled in on the hard shoulder with the same problem as me.”
Moneymore-based Lennox Auto Services Ltd posted a warning on their Facebook page on Saturday, advising motorists to be cautious.
A spokesperson for the company stated that they had attended ‘a large number’ of vehicles affected by the potholes.
“If travelling on the A6 Glenshane Road towards Castledawson Roundabout, please be mindful of a large pothole. It’s located about half a mile from the roundabout on the Maghera side,” read the post.
Others took to Facebook to warn people of the pot holes.
One person wrote: “I was on that stretch of road last night and seen four cars pulled over changing the tyres.”
Another man wrote: “I posted about it on Friday evening. I saw six cars pulled over.”
Transport NI said pothole was repaired on Sunday.
A spokesperson said: “The pothole was identified during a routine highway inspection earlier last week. Due to the necessary signing and traffic management measures required the repair of the road was arranged for the followingSunday.
“However, the extent of the pothole deteriorated rapidly last Friday evening and a number of complaints were received through our out of hours telephone answering system.
“The pothole was signed off on Friday evening to warn motorists and a temporary repair carried out during daylight hours the following morning.
“The permanent repair was carried out on the Sunday as planned,” said the spokesperson.
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