Potholes a public liability headache for the council
Potholes have been the subject of a number of public liability claims for Mayo County Council in 2023.
Mayo County Council had 90 public liability claims last year.
Councillors requested a breakdown of the claims in 2023 with council management providing a breakdown by municipal district.
The Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District saw the highest number of public liability claims last year with 33. The next highest was the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District with 23 followed by Castlebar Municipal District (21). Ballina Municipal District saw just 11 claims in 2023.
Claims relating to damage caused by potholes were by far the biggest legal quandary for the council last year. There were 61 claims lodged in 2023 relating to potholes. That’s compared to 27 for slips/trips/falls and two for road traffic accidents/other.
The Claremorris/Swinford Municipal District appears to have a bigger problem with its roads than other areas. There were 29 pothole-related claims in the district last year. That’s compared to 16 in Westport/Belmullet; 10 in Castlebar and four in Ballina. However, the Claremorris/Swinford District was less prone to claims for slips and falls with just four in 2023. The Castlebar Municipal District was the most unsteady on its feet with 11 claims for falls. Next came Westport/Belmullet with seven and Belmullet with five.
