‘Don’t put people at risk to protect wildlife - Kilkenny councillor

Wildlife must not be put before the welfare of people, a local councillor has insisted, calling for work to prevent flooding in the Inistioge area.

Cllr Michael Doyle was speaking at the recent Callan Thomastown Municipal District meeting, when he told fellow councillors that the National Parks and Wildlife Service was not in favour of removing fallen trees from the river.

Trees that have fallen into the River Nore in the Inistioge area have contributed significantly to the backing up of water and the flooding of the village, Cllr Doyle said.

The fallen trees are also restricting navigation, he said. “The stretch of river is seldom used now,” he added.

He said it seemed strange to him that the trees could not be removed. “We can’t put the people of Inistioge at risk because we want to protect certain species,” Cllr Doyle said.

He asked that the council write to the Parks and Wildlife Service asking why they can’t remove the trees, at an appropriate time of year.

Area Engineer Declan Murphy said he would follow up on that and write asking for clarity. When it comes to riverbanks, they are usually the responsibility of the landowner unless it comes under the remit of Waterways Ireland, he said.

The OPW sets the guidelines regarding work in rivers.