Sewage spews into canal in Tullamore as flooding returns to notorious blackspot
Tullamore Municipal District Cathaoirleach Cllr Declan Harvey calls on Irish Water to urgently address problem
Sewage spewed into the Grand Canal from a Tullamore street where a thunderstorm before 6pm on Thursday evening caused severe flash flooding in a matter of minutes.
Sewers were unable to cope with the huge volume of rain which fell onto the Callary St/ Convent View area and faeces and toilet paper washed onto the street and into the waterway.
A stench of sewage permeated the air as startled motorists attempted to navigate their way through the floodwaters.
A number of cars were abandoned by their drivers on the Convent View side of the floodwaters with residents fearing the situation would worsen if more rain fell.
Visiting the scene around 7pm on Thursday, the Cathaoirleach of Tullamore Municipal District, Cllr Declan Harvey called on Irish Water to take immediate action to address the issue which has bedevilled the area for over 30 years.
Cllr Harvey also contacted the council to ensure a waste water operator came to area to lower the floodwaters.
He said pipes taking rainwater under the canal were simply too small to cope with the volume of water now passing through them especially during heavy downpours.