Communities urged by council to adopt a dyke

Cork County Council wants businesses and communities to “adopt a dyke”.

The local authority is also considering recruiting unemployed people to help with road maintenance.

The adopt-a-dyke scheme is allied to a similar one aimed at keeping roads litter free but, this time, the council is looking at the possibility of getting volunteers to clean drains and gullies to prevent flooding.

The council’s Special Purposes Committee will soon discuss how it can encourage more people to free up natural-soak channels to ensure areas that are vulnerable to flooding will not be hit because gullies and drainage are blocked with debris.

The move was proposed by Fine Gael councillor Gerry Kelly, who said some communities had already hinted they were willing to get involved in such work.

His party colleague, Noel O’Donovan, pointed out that two postmen in the greater Clonakilty area were voluntarily taking shovels on their rounds to clear blocked drains.

Meanwhile, council officials confirmed that they are willing to take part in a pilot scheme allowing the unemployed to assist with road maintenance throughout the county.