Blocked drain cause of Ballymote flooding

IT is hoped that the clearing of a blockage in a drain in Ballymote will help alleviate concerns surrounding flooding in a part of the town.

Acting Chief Executive Tom Kilfeather told councillor’s at last week’s meeting that the removal of a blockage at Stonepark in Ballymote appears to have helped the situation, and time will tell if it has solved it altogether.

He was responding to a motion from Cllr Dara Mulvey which called on the council to investigate flooding in the area.

Cllr Mulvey said the river flowing along the R293 and through the park had overflowed its banks recently due to significant rainfall, and resulted in flooding for businesses and home owners.

As a result of excess water, some parts of the town park are impassable, he said, and some homeowners are now struggling to get insurance as a result of the increased prominence and frequency of flooding in this particular location.

A survey will be carried out when water levels subside and weather permits, Mr Kilfeather told Cllr Mulvey, and there has been above average rainfall in recent months.

However, he said the council were satisfied that the clearance of the blockage has resolved the issue.

The motion also attracted the support of Cllr Mulvey’s Fine Gael colleague Cllr Gerard Mullaney, who said the water level in the area had ‘dropped off ’ after work was carried out.

He said that it was a case of ‘wait and see’ for a little while longer to fully understand whether the blockage was at the root of the problem.

Cllr Mulvey welcomed the report and said it was an issue that the council needed to ‘ keep an eye’ on into the future, as locals have expressed concern and households have been flooded already due to excess water in the area.