Fury as town fails to cope with flooding

A FURIOUS pub owner led calls last night for urgent action after new pipes failed to cope with a thunderstorm which flooded a popular tourist town.

Dalton’s Pub in Kinsale, Co Cork, was one of a number of town centre businesses swamped with almost two feet of water and sewage after the downpour on Tuesday afternoon.

The town never flooded before a new pipe system was installed, pub owner Colm Dalton said. His pub was flooded for the seventh time in a year on Tuesday, he said. “We’re at our wits’ end,” he said.

The pub had to close on Tuesday night. Staff spent yesterday morning mopping up and the bar reopened for business yesterday afternoon.

But Mr Dalton said the town council or Cork County Council need to take responsibility for the inadequate pipe network.

Work on the first phase of the €10 million Kinsale Main Drainage scheme was completed late last year after over a year of disruption.

Phases two and three are not due to begin until Easter 2007.

Engineers admitted yesterday that the system is inadequate and warned that businesses face more flooding until the scheme is completed.

Mr Dalton said businesses are suffering.

“The town council say it’s not their fault. The county council say it’s the guys who built the system. But the builders blame the council who designed the system,” he said.

“We get half answers and some sympathy but nothing is being done.

“Here we are at the height of the tourist season and people are looking at water and sewage floating on the main street.”

Insurance companies are also understood to be threatening to pull cover from a number of businesses.

New drainage works are due to get underway on July 17.

Engineers say this should alleviate some of the problems.