It’s been a stormy start to 2026 with the bill for severe weather impact on Louth coming in at €1.2 million, the council have confirmed.
The figure was revealed at Monday night’s meeting of Drogheda Borough District, where councillors were told that repeated weather warnings in January and early February had left the county’s road network “riddled with potholes”.
The discussion prompted Fine Gael councillor Anne Marie Forde to renew her call for Louth County Council to make an “evidence‑based” case to Government for additional support every year, arguing that the county’s roads carry a disproportionate volume of cross‑border traffic.
“We really need to push this agenda… to get more money for the council for our roads. They are in an awful state,” she said.
Cllr Forde proposed sending a letter to Government, signed by all Louth councillors, setting out the evidence for increased funding. She noted she had first raised the issue last year and stressed that road conditions were a countywide concern, not just a Drogheda issue.
However, Labour councillor Pio Smith rejected the idea, arguing that a Parliamentary Question from a TD would yield a quicker response, and Councillor Smith joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this.
We also spoke to Councillor Anne-Marie Ford.