East Antrim Assembly-man Ken Robinson has called for service strips on the sides of all new roads to cut down on digging up thoroughfares to lay cables or pipes for public amenities.

He said: “The idea of a service strip is commonplace in the United States and it does away with the need to close roads, to endlessly dig roads up and it minimises disruption.

“It seemed to me that it was a good idea which, if it were implemented for all new roads, would at least make a start in reducing this problem.”

He said the constant digging had ruined many road surfaces and then more work was needed and more road closures and disruptive roadworks needed to repair them.

“Some of our roads have been dug up so often they resemble a patchwork quilt. When I asked the Regional Development Minister, he told me that where a road was dug up, it had to be reinstated to a condition acceptable to the roads service,” he said.