Roscommon County Council denies contempt over flood relief works

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Roscommon County Council rejected claims of contempt of court when the case was mentioned before the High Court on 29 October 2021.

Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) alleged that the council had breached a remediation agreement connected to its proposed 3km flood relief pipeline from Lough Funshinagh to Lough Ree. The project is about 12km north of Athlone.

In a sworn statement, the council’s chief executive, Eugene Cummins, said several phases of the remediation plan had been completed or complied with. He said others were substantially or partially complete, with remaining work delayed by adverse weather and awaiting the identification of an approved waste handling facility.

FIE sought an order that Mr Cummins be brought before the court to answer the alleged contempt. Mr Justice Garrett Simons adjourned the matter for hearing the following Tuesday and said there was no need for Mr Cummins to attend the hearing.

This case may have concluded differently. The outcome has not yet been confirmed by a public source we could find.