Houses overlooking Rossbeigh cut off after road slippage

Seventeen houses are effectively cut off this morning after a road slippage on cliffside overlooking Rossbeigh strand in Co Kerry.

County council area engineers and local councillors are at the scene this morning on what is known as "The Cliff Road" – on a hill side overlooking the blue flag beach of Rossbeigh strand and Dingle Bay.

The houses, a mix of residential and holiday homes, have been sounding warning bells for some time about the threat of erosion from a combination of waves at the base of the cliff, winds and frost.

The road was already vulnerable and had slipped in the storms of 2013 and 2014.

However heavy rainfall over the weekend has seen the cliff road slip a further 12 feet on Tuesday, making it impossible for access by car.

Local councillor Michael Cahill said the people were effectively cut off and could only reach their houses on foot.

The cliff is soft and difficult to protect but immediately around half a million euro in funding was needed to shore up the road to allow people get their homes.

Kerry County Council has voted earlier this week to seek a derogation on property tax for people in flood prone areas between Rossbeigh and across to Cromane in Dingle Bay.