The River Clodiagh has burst through a damaged wall in Clonaslee and is now threatening to flood nearby houses.
A local man posted the video on Twitter and he says the wall was damaged over a month ago by a drunk driver and was never repaired.
The river has risen due to the incredibly heavy rain we’ve experienced today.
Motorists in Laois are being urged to exercise extreme caution by emergency services due to widespread flooding in the county.
Units of the fire service have been called out to a number of incidents in Laois already this morning.
A yellow status weather warning is in place, due to heavy rain and the resultant flooding.
@rte this is Clonaslee, Co. Laois. Drunk driver smashed in the wall a month ago. Council never fixed it nor allowed locals to fix it. Now my house on verge of flooding. @LaoisCouncil pic.twitter.com/ZSq0CqChL8
— J.D. Finnerty (@JayFinn32) November 22, 2017
“It’s actually flash flooding at the moment,” said Asst Chief Fire Officer Anthony Tynan.
“It is particularly bad across the north of the county. Nearly all our resources are out at the moment,” he said.
“The roads are very dangerous,” he said.
Houses have been flooded in a number of areas including Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Clonaslee and Rosenallis.
A public premises in Portarlington on Main Street also had to be pumped out by fire crews this morning.
The Clodiagh River in Clonaslee burst its banks this morning and has flooded the main road through the village.
The river at Tinnahinch Bridge has also burst and there is flooding in the area.
Vulnerable
Mr Tynan urged people to check on the vulnerable and elderly neighbours to ensure they are okay.
Widespread flooding incidents around the county, extreme caution is needed on the roads. Crews are in attendance around the county.
— Laois Fire & Rescue (@LaoisFireRescue) 22 November 2017
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