'It was a very worrying few hours for the family concerned' - house nearly floods after Storm Amy

Following Storm Amy, a house required a pump to excess water away "from the back door and it was a very worrying few hours for the family concerned," said Leitrim councillor Gary Prior who called for cleaning and maintenance works on the Cloone River.

He said that following recent periods of heavy rainfall and the impact of Storm Amy, water levels in the Cloone river rose significantly and he said that in order to "prevent future flooding incidents and protect both residential and agricultural lands, it is essential that the Cloone river be cleaned and maintained without delay."

The response said that the council are provided with annual funding to to clear debris from OPW drainage channels and the Cloone River is part of the Rynn catchment system. "We can carry out drainage works to the channels to the prescribed drainage channels along the is section of the river. This will be subject to inland fisheries approval and adjacent landowner permissions."

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Cllr Paddy O'Rourke said he believed the problem was at the "exit out of Lough Rynn" as the river has been cleaned in 2019. 

Cllr Brendan Barry also supported the motion as did Cllr Roisin Kenny.