Damaged by manhole

Christine McVeigh was driving towards Lurgan town centre along Edward Street at 6.30pm on Saturday night when a manhole, raised due to the removed surface of the road around it, clipped the underside of her car.

Her exhaust was almost torn off and the back bumper of her car was damaged.

The incident happened opposite the entrance to McDonald’s restaurant.

When Christine posted a picture and details of the incident on Facebook she was contacted by other people who had also had their cars damaged on the same stretch of excavated road.

“I don’t know why the road wasn’t closed,” she told the ‘MAIL’.

“When you consider how much the manhole was sticking up you’d have thought the contractors would have taken steps to stop people driving over it.

“Unfortunately for me, I was in slow-moving traffic and didn’t know anything about it until it was too late.”

Christine explained that if Roads Service or the contractors didn’t accept the damage was their fault then she could end up considerably out of pocket.

“I reckon it’s going to cost around £600 for a new exhaust and bumper. In the meantime I’m using taxis to get to work in Portadown. It’s not cheap. I’ve no guarantee I’ll be refunded.”

A Roads Service spokesperson said any remuneration would be the responsibility of the contractor.

On the same subject the ‘MAIL’ learnt of another driver who had a similar experience in Edward Street on the night before with Susannah Carson Greene having to reseal two tyres after hitting a pothole.