Midleton road embankment 'could have mitigated flooding'

Cork County Council says it deferred the €25,000 earthworks as it could have 'exacerbated flooding elsewhere in the town'

A section of the Midleton northern relief road on the day it opened in March 2009. Some now say an embankment proposed in 2013 could have mitigated last month's devastating floods. Picture: Dan Linehan

Cork County Council has rejected the idea that a €25,000 mound of earth could have prevented at least some of the flooding seen in Midleton two weeks ago.

A proposal to place the defensive embankment along the Midleton Relief Road near the Willowbank housing estate was contained in a 2013 JBA Consulting report as part of the catchment flood risk assessment and management (CFRAM) report for the area. However, it was not built because the council said it was unclear whether it would increase flooding elsewhere.