WATCH: 'Is this Offaly's worst road' - Anger over brutal condition of Offaly road
The Garr road not far from the old power station was used as a diversion route when the main Rhode to Rochfortbridge road was closed for six months in 2023
Locals in one Offaly village say the roads in the area should be a criminal offence after recent bad weather made some routes almost unusable for motorists.
One local resident in Rhode, Vinny Grennan, spoke to the Offaly Express about the state of the roads in the area after sharing a video on social media of one treacherous route.
The Garr road out of the village is littered with deep potholes and drivers often have no way of avoiding a nasty impact.
Vinny says: "People have been inundating the council with complaints about the roads. Ever since work on the wind farm started, and I'm not blaming that, the roads around here are absolutely horrendous."
"There are some seriously dangerous potholes in the whole area. There is one near Rhode bridge that's around five inches deep and a foot wide," he added.
Locals are frustrated that patchwork fixes being employed by the council are being ripped out almost instantly by traffic and weather.
Residents have contacted Offaly County Council who say they are aware of the "challenging" road conditions but added that only temporary repairs are feasible at the moment given the inclement weather and staff availability.
They have said that the roads funding plan for the county is due in the next few weeks and that some areas of Rhode have been identified for upgrades.
Vinny Grennan said: "I'm expected to keep my car roadworthy. If I don't tax my car, I'll be done but the roads can be left the way they are. Several people have burst tyres or damaged cars and are getting nowhere with the council."
Vinny asked "what is Roads Policing all about" suggesting that the condition of roads should be checked in a similar way and councils held accountable.
He says roads in other counties and even other parts of Offaly outside North Offaly are "perfectly fine" but his area has suffered from not having a TD over the years.