AN IRATE Fiánna Fáil county councillor said that "TV3 should mind their own bloody business" when it comes to the potholes in the country.

At the Kanturk Area meeting on Monday, Cllr Michael Donegan was in flying fettle on the subject of potholes as other councillors lamented the gaping holes in roads eroded during the recent spell of harsh weather.

"Do ye now know that there is a competition on TV3 for the biggest pothole in the country. They should mind their own bloody business - 'tis nothing but tabloid TV. These [reporters] now think they are engineers all of a sudden. It's ridiculous," said Cllr Donegan.

His remarks led Cllr Noel Buckley (FG) to ask what was "the big prize" for the biggest pothole sourced. Cllr Donegan said: "Ah, I don't know but what they should do is mind their own bloody business."

However, The Corkman made contact with TV3, who said the station was not alone in highlighting the national road conditions.

"Ireland AM are running a competition to find the worst road or pothole in Ireland," said Teresa Murray, head of marketing and publicity at TV3. "The state of the roads is a concern for people and the cost of repairing the damage nationally has been estimated at up to €130 million."

The "big prize" to which Cllr Buckley asked about, includes a full service for a car and a new set of tyres to the value of €600, which has been sponsored by Fiat Ireland. In addition, an online car parts company, www.micksgarage.ie has offered a "full car makeover" including new mats, stereo, blue tooth phone to go along with the Fiat prize.

"We know that newspapers around the country are also running features on the poor condition of the road, so we are not alone in highlighting this. It is a valid and valuable prize and the subject very relevant at the moment," said Ms Murphy.

- MARIA HERLIHY MHERLIHY@CORKMAN.IE