Work has been suspended on an urgent flood relief scheme at Lough Funshinagh in Roscommon.

Roscommon County Council was forced to halt the works due to a High Court injunction taken by a Dublin legal firm instructed by the Friends of the Irish Environment CLG of Kilcatherine, Eyeries, Beara Co Cork.

Subject to ensuring completion of the necessary Site Safety and Security works at the location all works will cease immediately.

From January to April 2021, devastating flooding impacted the environment and the local community, including many elderly people. Families had to leave their homes; farm animals were endangered; several public roads were severely impacted or closed; and flora and fauna around the lake and in the Special Area of Conservation (SAC) was damaged and completely destructed.

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Currently the water levels are 2.5-3 metres (8-9 feet) higher than usual for this time of year and studies predict a risk of even more flooding in 2022, and beyond. Therefore, the Council is planning ahead by laying a preparatory overflow pipe in the ground now, to be ready for dangerous flooding should recent recorded heavy rainfall occur in the years ahead.

The flood project involves a 2.9km overflow pipe being put in the ground between Lough Funshinagh and a local stream which flows to the River Shannon at Lough Ree. This small-scale project commenced in June 2021 and was expected to be completed in four months, by October 2021.

The Council has now engaged an expert legal team and assures the community that it will work in their very best interests to vigorously defend the project.