Kerry villagers on flooding alert ahead of high tides

People in the Shannon Estuary village of Ballylongford, Co Kerry, who were hit by severe flooding a year ago, are bracing themselves for high tides next month and in March.

However, they are hoping that work on flood defences by Kerry County Council, due to start later this week, will help tackle the problem long-term.

Residents had for years been calling on the council and the Office of Public Works (OPW) to undertake the necessary work and a €92,000 grant was announced earlier this month for a protection scheme.