New figures show that Donegal County Council receives an average of 22 claims each month from motorists who believe their vehicles were damaged by potholes.

It takes the council an average of 4 months to reply to each individual claim, however there are no figures to show how many of those claims are successful.

Some claims against the council have been going on for years.

Road users who damage their vehicle and consider it the responsibility of Donegal County Council have the option to submit a liability claim for the council.

The forms are available at council offices across the county and on the forms section of the council’s website.

Responding to a question from Councilllor Cora Harvey, the Roads and Transport Services section of the council confirmed that this year the council has received 219 claims so far.

It was pointed out that on receipt of a claim, the claimant is usually notified in writing that their complaint has been logged within ten working days.

Councillor Harvey asked how long it takes to process a claim, she was told that claims are normally responded to within 16 weeks as staff availability permits.

Other cases, involving personal injury of outside contractors or ongoing correspondence with claimants can continue for years.

The council was unable to give a number of live claims currently within the system.

A Councillor says the decision by Donegal County Council to grant €20,000 to Finn Harps will not be repeated.

Cllr Martin Harley and Cllr Barry O’Neill met with the Finn Harps board at the weekend with the club asking if the local authority would help with funding.

Finn Harps must raise a total of €48,000 by December  21st in order to meet a series of financial commitments so that the club is able to meet the criteria to gain a licence to compete in Division One of the Airtricity League next season.

Finn Harps has already raised half of the  remaining €28,000 and are optimistic of raising the remainder through a series of functions.

Councillor Martin Harley has thanked the County Manager for facilitating his request:

A councillor has warned that lives could be lost if flood prevention measures are not introduced in Lifford.

A nationwide study is expected to confirm that Lifford is one of the country’s area classed as at risk of flooding.

Raising the issue Councillor Gerry Crawford claimed that work to prevent flooding in Strabane in recent years may make the problem worse in Lifford.

He is calling on the Council to identify if there is a great risk of flooding, and if so, to introduce preventative measures:

The Mayor is to lead a cross party seeking a meeting with the Taoiseach over the decision to pull most of the funding for the A5 upgrade.

It was confirmed earlier this month that the Irish Government will no longer contribute 450 million euro towards the project over the next 4 years.

Instead 50 million pounds will be invested in keeping the project alive.

At Donegal County Council’s monthly meeting, members unanimously condemned the decision

Councillor Ciaran Brogan says they hope to tell Enda Kenny face to face that it is not acceptable:

A Killybegs-based trawler master was yesterday served with a book of evidence that means he has to appear at Donegal Circuit Court on charges of breaching fishing laws.

Donegal District Court was told the book of evidence was served on Michael Munnelly, of Riverdale Heights, Killybegs, by Sgt David Durkan earlier this morning.

Munnelly faces four counts linked to his vessel the Avro Hunter.

He is accused of failing to give sufficient notice to enter Haulbowline, Co. Cork, and land place, of landing monkfish in undesignated port,Verolme dockyard – also in County Cork – breaching cod quota regulations and failing to record a full catch of cod in the Avro Hunter log.

The offences were alleged to have occurred between July 20 and 27, 2007.

State solicitor Ciaran Liddy, for the Attorney General, said the book of evidence was prepared for the next sitting of the Circuit Court in Donegal town on December 13.

Judge Kevin Kilrane remanded Munnelly to the higher court and reminded him that if alibi evidence formed part of his defence he had 14 days to give notice to the prosecution.

A motorist twice banned for driving in the Republic without insurance was banned again yesterday for seven years and fined a total of €1,300.

Donegal District Court was told there was another occasion in Northern Ireland when 25-year-old Shay McDaid was fined £200 for driving without insurance.
McDaid, of Hillhead, Castlefin, was not in court although he had instructed James Corbett, solicitor.

Mr Corbett said that he received instructions over the phone and asked McDaid to call in and there was nothing more he could do

Judge Kevin Kilrane noted the case was adjourned from a previous hearing but McDaid still wasn’t in court.

He added this was his third conviction for no insurance in this State.

McDaid, who was banned for a year in 2007 and six months in 2008, was banned again for seven years and fined a total of €1,300 for having no insurance or driving licence when he was stopped by gardai at a checkpoint at Keadue, Barnesmore, last June 23.

The judge said he would consider giving McDaid leave to appeal if he turned up in Ballyshannon court on Friday or Donegal town court on Wednesday next week.

An anti-fur-farming group due to hold a protest in Dublin today says there is no public appetite for continuing the practice.

Fine Gael and Labour have both previously voted to end the practice.

There are a number of fur farms here in Donegal, and in September last year hundreds were let out after a mink farm in Ardara was broken into.

Edmund Long is a spokesperson for A-Liberation – his group is concerned that the Junior Minister for Agriculture, Shane McEntee, may oppose the ban:

A man who admitted biting two gardai was today sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for two years.

Gavin Gillen said the first time was during a melee when he found an arm around his neck and he bit a finger.

The second time was when he was pepper-sprayed by gardai the same night and he bit into an arm because he couldn’t breathe and there was someone on his chest.

Donegal District Court was told gardai responded to an altercation in the Diamond area of the town last April 11.

Inspector Dennis Joyce said one garda received a serious bite mark on his finger at the scene.

Another garda was left with a sore arm and his skin was broken when 25-year-old Gillen was being taken to the station.

Gillen told Judge Kevin Kilrane that he was attacked after verbal exchanges when he had drunk six vodkas. He was struck on the back of the head and fell and got up to walk away but he was struck another blow to the side of the head by a different person and he fell down again.

That’s when he found an arm around his neck. Gillen said he didn’t know who it was and he thought he was going to be choked. He remembered being sprayed.

At the garda station water was thrown to help him and he fell back and a garda fell on his chest but he didn’t realise who it was at the time as he continued to struggle to breathe. He “bit out” because his hands were restricted.

Gillen, with an address at Craigavon Lane, Ballymena, said he contacted Sgt Tony Cornyn at Donegal Garda station the next day to extend his apologies to the two gardai.

He met one of them at an earlier hearing and repeated his apology and the garda shook his hand.

Judge Kilrane imposed a jail sentence of six months, suspended for two years, for assault causing harm on Garda Hugh McGurrin and assault on Garda Fiachra O’Hara.

The judge also ordered that €500 handed to the court as a token of compensation by Gillen be donated to a charity of the choice of the two assaulted gardai.

Donegal County Council has agreed to allocate €20,000 to Finn Harps this evening, effectively saving the club from going out of business.

Cllr Martin Harley and Cllr Barry O’Neill met with the Finn Harps board at the weekend with the club asking if the local authority would help with funding.]

Finn Harps must raise a total of €48,000 by December  21st in order to meet a series of financial commitments so that the club is able to meet the criteria t gain a licence to compete in Division One of the Airtricity League next season.

Highland Radio has learnt that Finn Harps has already raised half of the  remaining €28,000 and are optomistic of raising the remainder through a series of functions.