Vehicles damaged by '4ft-deep' collapsed manhole

A number of vehicles have been damaged after motorists unwittingly drove over a sunken manhole which had left an unmarked 4ft-deep hole in a city centre street.

The "hazardous manhole" on Bridge Street in Newry was reported by a councillor to the Department of Infrastructure (DFI) on Monday - two days before it collapsed.

Among those counting the cost is Pádraig Fitzpatrick, who heard a "bang" when he drove over it with his heavily pregnant partner and their child on Wednesday night.

The family were not injured, but two of their tyres blew out and the vehicle had to be towed, leaving them facing a bill of about £200 just a week before Christmas.

On Thursday evening, a DFI spokeswoman told BBC News NI a temporary repair to a collapsed "NI Water manhole in Bridge Street, Newry, has been completed" and works to complete a permanent repair are "in progress".

But the temporary fix came too late for some, including Mr Fitzpatrick.

"I was leaving my partner off to Pilates in Hill Street in Newry," he told BBC News NI.

"The traffic was busy enough and the next thing you know we drove over that massive pothole that I thought I saw out of the corner of my eye.

"But by the time I saw it, it was too late - we heard this big, massive bang."

He managed to drive on a short distance to Hill Street where he got out to inspect his car.

"I had two busted tyres and air was hissing out of both of them," he recalled.

With deflated tyres, the car was undriveable and he had to call on relatives to take his family home.

However, Mr Fitzpatrick, whose partner is eight months pregnant, said he was just thankful that nobody was hurt.

After the incident he walked back over to Bridge Street to take photos of the hole for evidence.

"I couldn't believe the depth. I looked down into it and I don't know how my car didn't get any more damaged, other than the two tyres.

"Obviously I still don't know if the rims or anything are broken but... how we were able to even drive it on to the Pilates I don't know."

By that stage, someone in the area had placed a shopping trolley into the gap in order to warn other drivers and pedestrians.

Later that evening, Mr Fitzpatrick saw that workers had placed traffic cones and tape all around the hole to cordon it off.

"Which would have been great about two hours beforehand, so I wouldn't have had this bill," he said.

Newry councillor Doire Finn, from the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) had posted photos of the sinking manhole on social media on Monday evening.

She warned members of the public to beware and confirmed she had reported it to the Department of Infrastructure (DFI), even providing a DFI reference number.

"Fingers crossed it will be fixed ASAP on such a main route into town," she said at the time.

By Wednesday night, Finn described it as "incredibly dangerous" and said it had now been reported to the DFI's emergency team.

Her SDLP colleague Declan McAteer went to Bridge Street on Wednesday night after his own brother contacted him to say it he had almost driven over the gap.

The councillor told BBC News NI that while he was at the scene, trying to get a repair team, he spoke to a nurse who "had ploughed into it in her car".

Later that night he was contacted by one of his neighbours who had suffered the same fate, damaging two wheels.

McAteer said he was disappointed by the DFI's response, considering that Councillor Finn "had recognised that there was an imminent danger" on Monday.

He said councillors "don't report things lightly" and complained their local knowledge is sometimes disregarded by infrastructure staff when dangers arise.

"We have to join the queue like everybody else," he said.

However, McAteer did praise the speed of the response of the DFI emergency team when he called them to the scene on Wednesday night.

Motorists who can provide proof their vehicle was damaged by a road defect such as a pothole can claim back the cost of repairs, but it can take some time.

Mr Fitzpatrick, who is originally from Hilltown but now lives in Bessbrook, is likely to face a wait to find out if he will be reimbursed.

The expectant father had recently taken on a second job in order to bring in some extra income before Christmas.

"The money that I was saving up from working in the restaurant I had planned for something else," he said.

"But now I can't really spend that anymore - I'll have to get the two new tyres."

He explained his car had to be towed away for repairs after he tried phoning four tyre fitting firms, none of whom could help him after hours on Wednesday night.

Mr Fitzpatrick was not impressed with how the DFI had dealt with the manhole and said he believed his family were put at risk by the unmarked hazard.

"Thankfully we have my partner's brother and sister who could sort it and came and lifted us, but... I was angry last night definitely."