Fermoy property owners in limbo over flood system failure

The delay in publishing the OPW report is causing "undue financial hardship" on the businesses who are looking to get compensation.

The flood barriers erected on Thomas Kent Bridge over the Blackwater blocking off flooding to Brian Boru Square Fermoy, Co Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

A number of property owners in a North Cork town have not been able to seek compensation for a 'systems failure' which caused flood damage nearly a year ago, as they are still awaiting a report from the Office of Public Works (OPW) on how it happened and who is responsible.

Several county councillors representing the Fermoy area won support from their colleagues in the council's Northern Division to write to the OPW demanding that it finalise its report into what went wrong with the flood protection measures in Fermoy on February 24, 2021.

The demountable barriers, which form part of the town's €30m defences, were successfully erected that night as the River Blackwater started to flood.

They worked very well, but water started pouring out of drains on the northern side of the bridge. Emergency pumps were meant to kick into action, but apparently did not trigger because a sensor failed to activate them.

Fianna Fáil councillor William O'Leary and Fine Gael councillor Noel McCarthy asked that the council's Northern Division write to the OPW requesting that they urgently expedite the report they are undertaking into the systems failure which resulted in flood damages to a number of properties in the town's Brian Boru Square.

They maintained the delay in publishing the report is causing “undue financial hardship” on the businesses who are looking to get compensation for the damage caused, which in one case was quite substantial.

They do not have flood insurance because even after the defences were completed, insurance companies refused to reactivate policies amid fears that human error could lead to the demountables not being erected in time.

The county council acts as agents for the OPW for all flood prevention works on the northern side of the bridge. 

A private contractor is employed by the OPW to erect barriers on the southern side.

“The flood barriers were put up in Fermoy and Mallow at the time," said Mr O'Leary. "But a sensor failed in one of the pumps in Fermoy and caused damage to a number of properties."

He said it is obvious that the “wheels of bureaucracy move slow” in this country, as the OPW report was still awaited nearly 12 months on.

“We need them to issue their report so claims [for compensation] can proceed,” Mr O'Leary said. "It was a very unfortunate event as the [demountable] barriers have been an outstanding success.

Mr McCarthy said: “It was a pump failure, we know that. Why can't OPW say this is why it happened?

I feel very strongly over this. We have to write in a very strong manner to them.” 

Both Fianna Fáil councillors Frank O'Flynn and Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson echoed their views.