Householders face second clean-up following ‘monster rain’

FOR the second time in a week, Dubliners were faced with a massive clean-up operation after torrential rain caused localised flooding.

Heavy downpours again wreaked havoc in some northside suburbs with flooding reported in Finglas, Glasnevin, Drumcondra, Clontarf and Marino, as council officials called the conditions “monster rain”.

Other affected areas included Lucan, Ballyfermot, Santry, Ashtown and parts of Co Kildare, as the east coast again suffered the worst of the unseasonal monsoon-like weather.

However, most of the flooding had eased by early yesterday morning with just a few roads remaining blocked to traffic, although motorists were advised to take care. The M50 and N3 were both open yesterday after being temporarily flooded on Tuesday night.

A section of the N3 was closed on Tuesday night as water had to be pumped off between the access ramps to the Blanchardstown shopping centre, while the left lane of the M50 southbound at Fairview was also closed.

Residents in Ballygall Crescent in Finglas were left wondering if it was worth the effort to clean up for the second time in a few days with further rain forecast for the remainder of the week.

“I am in a dip in the road here and the water is just flowing in from all around. It might be months before I get it sorted out now,” said Anna Patricia Little whose car was also damaged.

Tide marks showed water had reached levels of around two feet as neighbours complained of being abandoned by council officials and local politicians.

The Castleknock gate entrance to the Phoenix Park was closed for several hours yesterday after the road was deemed impassable.

A Dublin Fire Brigade spokesperson said crews had responded to around 200 calls on Tuesday night.

Dublin City Council said teams of workers had again been mobilised but admitted that the unprecedented rainfall had caused problems due to blocked drains and rising water levels.

Local authorities in the greater Dublin area are due to meet shortly with other agencies to discuss emergency plans for dealing with the problem of regular flooding, amid criticism that planning permission has been granted for hundreds of homes on flood plains in the region over the past decade.

Labour’s environment spokeswoman Joanna Tuffy TD claimed the lack of preparation by Government had contributed significantly to the problem. “It is particularly unacceptable that recently built modern roads like the M50 and N3 dual carriageway at Blanchardstown should be subject to such severe flooding. It is also alarming to see housing developments, for which planning permission was only granted in recent years, now being subject to regular flooding,” she said.

Although Met Éireann has forecast more bad weather for the remainder of the week, the extent of any rainfall remains unpredictable. However, the risk of further flooding cannot be ruled out because of rising water table levels around the city.