Letterkenny councillors call for urgent gully clean‑up after recent floods

Recent flooding in Letterkenny has prompted councillors to demand swift action on blocked drains and gullies before the onset of winter.

Cllr Donal “Mandy” Kelly told the October Letterkenny‑Milford Municipal District meeting that several parts of the town, including Ballyraine Road, had flooded in recent weeks. He noted gullies where grass was growing through them and said residents in multiple housing estates had reported overflowing drains.

Kelly recalled seeing Principal St Eunan’s College staff assisting children to cross a flooded road, with water running over raised tables and umbrellas being used to try and unblock the flow.

Mayor Cllr Pauric McGarvey also urged the council to identify problem drains before heavier autumn weather arrives. He suggested a simple reporting system, similar to the public lighting service, allowing residents to drop a pin on a map to mark blocked gullies.

The council replied that urban gullies are inspected annually under the Drainage Maintenance Programme, while rural drainage work is carried out when problems are identified and funding is available. With the Letterkenny‑Milford Municipal District covering around 1,200 km of roads, councillors were warned that gullies can become clogged within half an hour during heavy leaf fall.

McGarvey warned that some gullies were already heavily clogged with muck before leaves became an issue, making further blockage likely. The local authority said it would aim to complete as much cleaning work as possible, as quickly as possible.

Source: Donegal Daily. Photo: Brixiv / Pexels.