Floods hit as town awaits relief scheme

Two floods within 12 hours left dozens of homes damaged as surface water depths topped 20in in a West Cork market town.

Residences were mainly hit in Skibbereen with many people — mostly pensioners — confined to their homes for most of yesterday, as the town waited for flood waters to recede.

The Government has ringfenced almost €13m for flood defences in the town, but locals yesterday warned about a “slippage” in a planned schedule of works for the scheme, still at the design stage.