Plea to fix potholes in Kilkenny so big 'that a small child could be lost in them'

Fianna Fáil TD Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere has called on the Taoiseach to introduce once-off emergency funding to repair extensive road damage caused by Storm Chandra in Carlow and Kilkenny.

The call was made during Dáil proceedings this week, when Deputy Cleere raised the issue directly with An Taoiseach Micheál Martin.

Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Cleere said that huge number of rural roads across Carlow and Kilkenny have been destroyed due to torrential rainfall and flooding caused by Storm Chandra.

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"This has resulted in severe potholing and, in many cases, the complete disintegration of road surfaces, leaving roads totally impassable," he said.

"In some areas, the damage is so bad that a small child could be lost in them."

Deputy Cleere called for additional once-off emergency funding for the counties most severely affected by the storm, stressing that existing resources are insufficient to deal with the scale of damage.

"I am asking for additional emergency funding for those counties so desperately impacted by the storm," he said.

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"Many of the roads affected now require full reconstruction rather than temporary repairs."

The Deputy highlighted that the damaged roads are predominantly rural routes carrying high volumes of agricultural traffic and serving vulnerable residents. He also noted that many of the affected roads are used daily as school transport routes.

"These roads are vital for local communities," he said. "They are used by farmers, by school buses, and by elderly and vulnerable residents who rely on them for access to essential services."

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Deputy Cleere emphasised that any additional funding must be separate from the Emergency Response Payment, formerly the Humanitarian Assistance Scheme, which is designed to support households whose properties were directly affected by flooding.

"Given the scale of the damage caused by Storm Chandra, we need every possible form of financial assistance to get these roads back into working condition," he said.

"So many businesses, residents and elderly people rely on these roads every day. We need to restore them as quickly as possible so communities can get on with their lives."

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