After the recent flooding in Mill Road, Skibbereen Council has once again advertised for a contractor to carry out the long-awaited Flood Relief Scheme for the town.
JUST days after six houses were flooded in the Mill Road area of Skibbereen, the Council has once again advertised for a contractor to carry out the long-awaited Flood Relief Scheme for the town.
The news that contractor Roadbridge had pulled out of the scheme was greeted with anger by townspeople who believe they were lucky to escape a flooding episode similar to the devastating episode in 2009. After consistent delays with the scheme’s progress, the latest contractor withdrew from the project – and this week the scheme was put out to tender once more, with a closing date of January 28th for applications. ‘We have gone through a desperate few years and we are being kicked in the teeth yet again,’ said local FF Cllr Joe Carroll.
‘While there has been some outstanding work done around the town, we were just lucky this time. If there had been a high tide, things would have been different.’
Reiterating the element of ‘luck’ for Skibbereen last weekend, Cathal O’Donovan of the Skibbereen Floods Committee said another few hours of rain in the Drimoleague area would have resulted in much more flooding in the town centre.
However, local marine supplies firm CH Marine on the Marsh Rd was once more hit by floods, as were homes on nearby Mill Rd.
‘A lot of praise must go to the Civil Defence,’ he said, ‘everything was very well organised this time. If this had happened five years ago, it would have been a different story.’
Mr O’Donovan added that the Committee would be asking the Council to provide more pumping equipment and that the group was looking for a green light for the scheme before the election.
