The Department of Transport has been allocated an extra £1 million in funding to repair broken street lights and potholes and other road maintenance.

Transport Minister Michelle McIlveen welcomed the extra money and said it is very good news for the public and for wider employment in the sector.

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She said: "Broken streetlights are a major cause of concern for the public, particularly during the dark winter nights. While we have reports of over 7,000 lights not working, we expect the real number to be much higher. We have now ramped up the service and TransportNI is working with external contractors to carry out repairs and clear the backlog which is expected to take a number of months.

"To help identify faulty street lights, my Department has developed an online system on nidirect which the public can use to report problems in their area."

(CD/LM)