Some farmers not clearing drains properly - council

Farmers are being blamed for serious flooding issues at some locations around the county by Cavan County Council engineers, who believe they are not clearing drains and ditches on their land appropriately.

The issue was raised at the recent Cootehill Bailieborough Municipal District meeting by Cllr Sarah O’Reilly.

Kells Road Cross in Tierworker was highlighted as a blackspot for flooding. While the issue had abated in recent years, the water began to rise once again in recent times.

Cllr O’Reilly explained the council had fixed an issue at the location in the past, and requested they fix it once again. “Ten minutes on a digger,” she believes would solve the problem.

“It used to flood every time there was a shower,” explained Cllr O’Reilly.

She claimed Cavan County Council had done a “great job” in resolving the issue, which alleviated the problem for “seven or eight years”. However in recent years the cross has begun flooding again.

Cllr O'Reilly highlighted how each side of the cross has become built up with water as a result of recent flooding.

In response, engineer Alan Lyons said that the issue was caused by a blocked drain underneath the road, which he deemed was not the council's responsibility, but the farmer's.

He persisted that farmers are responsible for alleviating problems on their land, when it, in turn, affects the passibility of roads.

"The council are reliant on farmers to clean out their drains,” said Mr Lyons.

He concluded that the road drainage system was put in place to “drain roads, not farmers' land.”