Row brewing over Bray flooding following hurricane

November 1986

ANOTHER row is brewing in the continuing controversy over last August’s Hurricane Charley flood disaster in Little Bray.

This time the Little Bray and District Flood Relief Committee are angry over the refusal of local authorities to give them access to records and specifications relating to the history of flooding on the Dargle from 1965 to 1986.

According to spokesman Jack Murnane, they require access to the material to allow a firm of consultant engineers which they have employed to compile an independent report on the disaster.

Mr Murnane said his group recently wrote to the Bray Urban Council seeking permission to examine the records, but when they arrived at the authority offices with their engineer they were refused access.

He added that they have since written again seeking permission but, to date, have received no reply from the council.

He labelled this attitude as ‘amazing’ and claimed it was especially hard to understand as Cork County Council had allowed such access without any problem in similar circumstances in Skibereen.

Meanwhile, the council’s own consultant engineers are due to publish their report on the flooding next week.

Mr Murnane and his group demanded that it should be available to the public.