Watch: 20cm deep pothole damages car in Laois

A woman who had her car tyre burst by a series of deep potholes believes several other vehicles have been damaged in the area. 

Marcella Brennan was driving toward Millford on New Years Eve when she struck the potholes on the Leighlin Road near Lanigans Lock close to the Carlow border.

She had to call her mechanic who was sick and had to get out of bed to change her tyre. He took a video of the potholes following the incident. 

Ms Brennan said the new tyre for her Audi A6 cost €300 and she is still not sure if the 19 inch alloy wheel is destroyed. She believes the potholes had caused damage to a number of cars in the area.  

“They were 20 centimetres deep, 10 centimetres deep and five in a row. You couldn’t avoid them. It’s a very narrow stretch of road,” said Ms Brennan. 

“Imagine losing control and ending up in the river,” she added.

Since posting the video taken by her mechanic, she said other people have also commented on the damage the potholes have caused. 

Ms Brennan said she intends to bill Laois County Council for the damage caused to her car. 

Local area representative for Sinn Féin Aaron Kelly took to social media to say he had  made contact with the area engineer in Laois Council on Monday.  He said the council have a team out dealing with the potholes along the Leighlin Road near Lanigans Lock. “I want to thank them for their fast actions on this following my report,” he said. 

“I was made aware of these after a local lady posted a video on social media yesterday after hitting them and doing costly damage to her wheels. Thankfully nobody was injured. If there are any road repairs needed in your area, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will do my best to help out,” he stated.