A Laois TD has called on long awaited flood relief schemes for Mountmellick and Portarlington to be accelerated following scenes of flooding last Friday.
Heavy rain across the week, that culminated in a deluge on Friday from Storm Claudia, left the two towns under water in places.
Independent TD Brian Stanley says that Portarlington and Mountmellick cannot wait any longer for works to be carried out.
He said: “Given the flooding that occurred in both towns last Friday, and the high risk of future flooding, the Flood Relief Schemes for both need to be accelerated.
“It’s simply not good enough that the OPW projections are that the Mountmellick Scheme could take another six to seven years for completion of construction works, and an even longer period of time in the case of Portarlington.
“One elderly couple in Mountmellick, who’s home flooded on Friday are now left with a situation of again having to replace damaged floors.
“I will be raising the matter again with Laois County Council this week and the Minister in charge of the Office of Public Works, Kevin Boxer Moran.”
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