Laois County Council have been called upon to take action to clean up a river that has been described as the ‘dirtiest in Ireland’.
Independent Councillor Ollie Clooney made the comments in relation to the River Gully at a recent meeting of Laois County Council.
The river in question is located in the south of the county between Durrow and Ballacolla – and Councillor Clooney spoke about this very issue nearly four years ago.
As a child, Cllr Clooney said he ran through this river and he labelled it ‘derelict’.
He said: “It is close to my heart. We ran and played in it as children. It’s just derelict.
“The sight saddens me, it’s absolutely shameful what this lovely river has turned into.
“You just couldn’t see up five yards of it. Everything is in it. Something has to be done.
“Is it possible to survey the River Gully? If it was polluted it would be inspected fairly quick. It is a disgrace.
“I’ll make myself available any time. It’s gone on too long, it’s just unbelievable. It’s the dirtiest river in Ireland.”
A discussion on rivers ensued and Cllr PJ Kelly outlined similar problems in the Barrow.
He said: “There is money for the Nore but is there any for the Barrow?
“From Portarlington through to Monasterevin, parts of it the weeds are eight to 10 foot high. Swans cannot stretch their wings out on it.
“That’s a fact. They land on the field and walk to the Barrow.”
In response, Director of Services Simon Walton explained how Laois County Council had received €150,000 from the Office of Public Works.
This has been used, he said, for river drainage maintenance across the county.
He said: “That is a show of confidence by the OPW in our ongoing programme.
“We have at least two or three applications with the OPW. Our window is normally August and September,” he said.
Mr Walton said that a district engineer will meet with Cllr Clooney to view the River Gully.
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