Motorists using the roadways inside St James Hospital have lashed out at the maintenance department for not doing enough in preventing and repairing potholes. According to staff, the roads have not been fixed in years, and the area most damaged is near the Accident and Emergency department.
Some ambulance drivers have also claimed that there has been a few “near-misses” when bringing in patients during emergencies. “The pot holes are so big that sometimes if a trolley wheel goes in, it’s a struggle to push the trolley back out. Not only do you struggle to get the trolley back out, the whole trolley goes all over the place, creating an off-balance, and this can lead to a very nasty accident, If this happens and someone gets hurt, there will be hell to pay”, said one disgruntled driver.
Also when it rains, sometimes the pot holes fill with water and unsuspecting motorists end up going directly in to the pot hole causing damage to their wheels or their cars. “This is not a new problem”, stressed one ambulance driver, “We have addressed it a number of times in recent years and nothing has been done about it. As well as the potholes there are a number of cracks on the roads and this is causing potholes to open up, and the worn out tar that covers them collapses in to the hole.”
Another member of staff who works in the hospital has stressed over health and safety issues when it comes to the pot holes and cracks, she feels that every time she walks over them, she is afraid she will fall over and smash her ankles. Fountain News has been informed by a reliable source that there are several contractors working in the grounds of the hospital and that work may yet happen to deal with the issue.
