A three foot high flood in a Kildare housing estate was caused by a piece of plastic

A buoy used by a canal barge caused a serious flooding event in Sallins.

The incident happened after the buoy blocked a pipe near the Sallins Pier estate.

It prompted Cllr Bill Clear to ask Kildare County Council to prepare a flood mitigation plan for the residents there.

He said road and property entrances have been repeatedly flooded in recent years, including measures such as clearing the drainage network, constructing a channel to divert water toward the canal, or installing an attenuation pond regardless of whether the estate has been formally taken in charge.

At a Naas Municipal District meeting, he praised the hands-on approach of KCC engineer Liam McNeela who came to Sallins in the wake of the incident, tracked the problem and located and removed the buoy.

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He said Mr McNeela’s action contrasted with the response of KCC to some previous similar incidents - to the effect that it couldn’t act because the residential area had not been taken in charge by it.

In this case, KCC said a significant blockage was discovered in the surface water network at the discharge point from Sallins Pier to the culvert which crosses under the canal. It also said it’s working to take in charge Sallins Pier and Sallins Wharf. This process will include “a

review of the surface water network and carry out any required repairs or works to alleviate any further flooding.”