Mary Lou McDonald meets with 'frustrated' residents worst hit by River Shannon flooding

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has met with “frustrated” residents living in the worst affected areas of severe flooding.

Ms McDonald again called for a single statutory body to manage the River Shannon as flooding in areas around the Shannon worsens.

Met Eireann issued a status yellow snow and ice warning across Ireland from 6am on Tuesday to 9am on Wednesday.

The body issued warnings of wintry showers, mainly of hail and sleet, throughout Tuesday, leading to icy patches.

Flooding remains in Athlone in Co Westmeath and in Carrick-On-Shannon in Co Leitrim.

Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald looks at flood prevention measures in the Mill Bank area of Athlone (PA)

Ms McDonald, with party TDs Sorca Clarke and Claire Kerrane, spoke to to flooding victims at a hoel in Athlone on Tuesday.

She said: “We need a single statutory body that takes charge from Waterways Ireland and the ESB and local authorities, we need a coherent structure that can manage, that can plan and that can renew the River Shannon.”

Local residents told Ms McDonald about their experiences in dealing with the latest flooding to hit the area.

“I know that there is considerable frustration and considerable anger that there is almost a cycle, we return every number of years to this situation, where people’s homes, farms and farm lands are flooded, where roads are impassable,” she added.

“Local people tell me that the big difficulties that there are not being listened to.

Sinn Fein Leader Mary Lou McDonald meets local residents looks at flood prevention measures in the Mill Bank area of Athlone, in Co Westmeath (PA)

“The big difficulty is that the Shannon is not being managed and it seems to local people there is a lack of political will and a lack of seriousness, in terms of not just providing flood defences, but also flood warnings and having a coherent management plan and structure in a single statutory body to actually manage the Shannon.

“I always believe there is great local wisdom, that smart government, smart policy makers should happen, so we are here to listen today.

“We need to do something here definitively, we cannot go from one crisis to another and I am very conscience that it turns people’s lives upside down.

“It causes enormous stress and hardship so we need to crack this one.

“People here aren’t going to tolerate cycles of flooding again and again.”