The flood relief scheme in Mallow has proven a success for the second time in three months after council staff erected flood barriers to protect Bridge Street in the town.
According to Cork County Council Northern Division senior area engineer Aidan Weir, council staff erected the temporary barriers at 8pm last night and removed them at 6am this morning when flood levels in the Blackwater had abated.
Six premises in Fermoy were flooded when the River Blackwater spilled its banks and flooded parts of Brian Boru Square in the town this morning.
According to Mr Weir, although flood waters were higher up the Blackwater valley than in November, flood levels in Mallow and Fermoy never reached the same heights as three months ago and Fermoy fared much better on this occasion.
However, he said heavy water consumption by householders in towns such as Mallow and Charleville and surrounding villages such as Buttevant and Churchtown has resulted in a major depletion of water supplies in reservoirs and water shortages are inevitable.
Mr Weir said the shortage is due primarily to increased consumption as householders left taps running to prevent pipes freezing and he appealed to householders to conserve water to allow the council build up its levels in reservoirs again.