Concern about flood threat at rear of Assumption Road in Athlone

Residents of Assumption Road in Athlone have voiced concern about the threat of flooding at the rear of their homes in the event of spell of heavy rainfall. 

Shortly before Christmas, the back gardens of several houses on the street flooded, and Minister of State Kevin 'Boxer' Moran came down with a pump to help remove the build-up of water. 

Local resident Robert Reilly said the flooding "came up through the floor in my shed" and left his back garden submerged under "nearly two feet" of water. 

The unusually dry weather since Christmas has meant the flooding is now all but gone, however Robert said he and his neighbours were worried that a spell of prolonged rain would lead to the problem returning. 

"If we do get a deluge of rain then the garden will be totally inaccessible," he said. "People are up in arms about it."

This week, despite the fact that there has been little rain recently, there was still some water visible beside a laneway at the back of some of the houses. 

 

When contacted on Monday, 'Boxer' said there was a feeling among the residents that drainage in the area had gotten worse since construction started on the adjacent development of 33 social housing units at Arcadia. 

"The day before Christmas eve, the water was quite high in some of the gardens and sheds. We ran a pipe from the water pump and ran it over the hoarding and back into the site at Arcadia, and after about four hours we got it under control."

'Boxer' said he had been in contact with Westmeath County Council a number of times about this, and that the council was currently looking at options to improve drainage and ensure the flooding in this area doesn't become a persistent issue.