Residents demand action after second flood in four years hits Ennis

Ennis residents and business people were counting the cost yesterday of the worst flooding in the town in recent memory.

Much of one of the town's busiest shopping streets - Parnell Street - was still under water with many business premises flooded.

A stretch of the main Limerick-Galway Road was still impassable, while units of Ennis fire brigade were attempting to clear floodwaters from homes throughout the town.

Levels reached their peak early on Christmas morning, with Parnell Street under two feet of water.

This depth had reduced by yesterday evening, but residents were concerned that further rain would worsen the situation.

One flood victim, Mr Jim McInerney (88), said yesterday it was a Christmas he would rather forget. Part of his house, located adjacent to the River Fergus, was still under water.

His wife Maud (90) was removed from the house by ambulance on Christmas Day.

While a fire brigade unit yesterday attempted to clear his house and garden of water, he said: "I'm in this house 60 years and this is the worst flood ever. The root cause of the flooding is the planning permissions granted willy-nilly in recent years - there is no master plan for the town at all."

Echoing Mr McInerney's views, Ennis urban councillor Mr Donal O'Bearra of the Green Party said: "Indiscriminate and unchecked land-filling has made repeat flooding inevitable, as we now see to our misfortune.

"The volumes of water I photographed in areas recently granted planning permission highlight that the warnings of residents and those who disagreed with building on the Fergus flood plain were ignored."

He said that the flooding, worse than in 1995, raised many questions as to what exactly Ennis UDC had done since to prevent the problem.

"Residents and businesses who had their properties flooded for the second time on Parnell Street, Mill Road, Castlelawn and Claureen are frustrated at the lack of presence on the ground of those who made the decisions regarding planning permission."