At least a half-a-dozen motorists were left with punctured tyres on the M50 last Friday, after a "massive pothole" appeared because of heavy rain.

According to Conor Faughnan of the AA, motorists began calling at 7am to complain about the pothole which caused delays on the junction between Ballymount and Tallaght.

"The calls started coming in from very early in the morning, and by the time we got out there, there were six motorists with blown-out tyres who were stuck on the M50. We also tended to cars that weren't covered by AA because we really couldn't just leave them there," he said.

It is understood the pothole opened up due to a number of consecutive days of rain in Dublin.

"The bad weather was the cause of the alarm, and when motorists came out early in the morning and got caught in this pothole, they were understandably taken by surprise."

Sean O'Neill of the National Roads Association (NRA) said the company responsible for the upkeep of the motorway, M50 Concession Ltd, was on the scene as soon as reports began to come in.

"They were straight out fixing the problem, and we called them early on to ensure everything was going well," said O'Neill.

Irate motorists voiced their anger on radio talkshows on Friday morning.

Internet forums were also inundated with messages from motorists who claimed their vehicles had been damaged by the pothole.

One motorist noted on boards.ie they were "hoping it's just a new tyre and not a full alignment and suspension fix".