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22 December 2010
Last updated at 08:17 ET
The bill for maintaining Northern Ireland's roads this winter is expected to exceed £10m.
The Department for Regional Development said that the average cost of a normal winter service is around £5m.
Last year's extreme weather pushed the total up to more than double that amount.
A DRD spokesperson said early indications suggest it will be "significantly more" this year.
"The average cost of a normal winter service is around £5m, although this rose to over £8m last year as a result of the extreme weather conditions over the Christmas and New Year periods," they said.
"It was also estimated that a further £2m was spent on roads requiring immediate treatment as a direct result of that weather.
"While it is too soon yet to estimate the full cost of this year's winter service, early indications would suggest that the final cost is likely to be significantly more than last year."
The latest statement follows the Stormont Executive's announcement that the draft budget, if implemented, would see the DRD losing £63m.
Meanwhile, time is running out for thousands of people trying to get back to Northern Ireland for Christmas, as cold temperatures continue to cause problems to the transport network.
Both of Belfast's airports are open, but cancellations and delays are expected. Dublin Airport was closed due to snow, but has now reopened.
Hundreds of schools remain closed on Wednesday.
Transport City of Derry Airport is open but its website says Aer Arann flights to and from Dublin have been cancelled.
Passengers are being advised to check with their airlines for the latest on flight information.
Translink said it was experiencing "major disruption" to all services on Wednesday.
Roads Service said motorists should continue to remain cautious.
It said salting was carried out on main routes but would have "limited effect at these temperatures".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
Colin Brown of the Roads Service said another 25,000 tonnes of salt was on order for Northern Ireland to arrive over the Christmas and New Year period.
The consignment is being ordered from Egypt.
Since the start of December, Belfast International Airport has used 100,000 litres of liquid de-icing materials, 60 tonnes of solid de-icing materials, and at least 100 tonnes of road salt on car parks and paths.
Freezing fog BBC NI weather presenter, Cecilia Daly, said the freezing temperatures were set to continue on Wednesday, but there had not been fresh snow overnight.
"A few snow showers to come today mainly over parts of North Antrim and the north of Derry, otherwise most places will have a dry day," she added.
"There are some freezing fog patches, mainly in the west and they will linger throughout the day.
"Some sunshine to come elsewhere, but it will remain bitterly cold with temperatures staying well below freezing, ranging from minus three celsius in Belfast to minus seven or minus eight celsius over the snow fields.
"Tonight a severe frost will return with a few freezing fog patches too.
"There will also be some fresh snow over parts of Derry, Tyrone and Antrim, but no more than a few cms in most places. Temperatures will drop into negative double digits again with a few spots falling close to minus 15 degrees."
The outlook is for "freezing, but largely dry weather" to continue between now and Christmas Day, with freezing fog in some areas.
Bad weather The Ambulance Service has suspended transport for non-emergency patients until Christmas Eve.
Communications Officer, John McPoland, said the decision was made because of the "continuing bad weather".
Details of school closures are available on the news online website and ceefax page 169.
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The Department for Regional Development said that the average cost of a normal winter service is around £5m.
Last year's extreme weather pushed the total up to more than double that amount.
A DRD spokesperson said early indications suggest it will be "significantly more" this year.
"The average cost of a normal winter service is around £5m, although this rose to over £8m last year as a result of the extreme weather conditions over the Christmas and New Year periods," they said.
"It was also estimated that a further £2m was spent on roads requiring immediate treatment as a direct result of that weather.
"While it is too soon yet to estimate the full cost of this year's winter service, early indications would suggest that the final cost is likely to be significantly more than last year."
The latest statement follows the Stormont Executive's announcement that the draft budget, if implemented, would see the DRD losing £63m.
Meanwhile, time is running out for thousands of people trying to get back to Northern Ireland for Christmas, as cold temperatures continue to cause problems to the transport network.
Both of Belfast's airports are open, but cancellations and delays are expected. Dublin Airport was closed due to snow, but has now reopened.
Hundreds of schools remain closed on Wednesday.
Transport City of Derry Airport is open but its website says Aer Arann flights to and from Dublin have been cancelled.
Passengers are being advised to check with their airlines for the latest on flight information.
Translink said it was experiencing "major disruption" to all services on Wednesday.
Roads Service said motorists should continue to remain cautious.
It said salting was carried out on main routes but would have "limited effect at these temperatures".
Continue reading the main story “Start Quote
Tonight a severe frost will return with a few freezing fog patches too”
End Quote
Cecilia Daly
BBC NI weather presenter
Colin Brown of the Roads Service said another 25,000 tonnes of salt was on order for Northern Ireland to arrive over the Christmas and New Year period.
The consignment is being ordered from Egypt.
Since the start of December, Belfast International Airport has used 100,000 litres of liquid de-icing materials, 60 tonnes of solid de-icing materials, and at least 100 tonnes of road salt on car parks and paths.
Freezing fog BBC NI weather presenter, Cecilia Daly, said the freezing temperatures were set to continue on Wednesday, but there had not been fresh snow overnight.
"A few snow showers to come today mainly over parts of North Antrim and the north of Derry, otherwise most places will have a dry day," she added.
"There are some freezing fog patches, mainly in the west and they will linger throughout the day.
"Some sunshine to come elsewhere, but it will remain bitterly cold with temperatures staying well below freezing, ranging from minus three celsius in Belfast to minus seven or minus eight celsius over the snow fields.
"Tonight a severe frost will return with a few freezing fog patches too.
"There will also be some fresh snow over parts of Derry, Tyrone and Antrim, but no more than a few cms in most places. Temperatures will drop into negative double digits again with a few spots falling close to minus 15 degrees."
The outlook is for "freezing, but largely dry weather" to continue between now and Christmas Day, with freezing fog in some areas.
Bad weather The Ambulance Service has suspended transport for non-emergency patients until Christmas Eve.
Communications Officer, John McPoland, said the decision was made because of the "continuing bad weather".
Details of school closures are available on the news online website and ceefax page 169.
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