A cracked car park in Kesh following erosion to the river bank by the river
Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazzard and his department have been accused of not “wanting to take responsibility” for the repair of a footbridge in Kesh, which has been closed for over a year due to flooding.
The bridge has remained out of bounds and awaiting repair since Storm Desmond caused extensive flooding damage across the county last December. An adjoining carpark is also still closed after the PSNI deemed the area unsafe following the torrential rain and strong winds.
Kesh Development Association held a public meeting last week to discuss the issue when it was decided that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council should be approached to assist.
Speaking at the council’s monthly meeting, local DUP Cllr David Mahon said the closure of the bridge is causing “a massive safety issue for the people of Kesh”.
Cllr Mahon says the Minister and his department don’t want “to take responsibility” and requested that the Council write a letter, pointing out the safety concerns raised by the people of Kesh.
“On an hourly basis you have mothers with push chairs and young children crossing the main traffic bridge, which is quite often jammed with lorries. It really is an accident waiting to happen. It’s both unfortunate and unacceptable that at this stage the Minister hasn’t taken responsibility or put a plan into action to see it resolved.
“I would hope that the Minister would accept the various requests that have been made for him to come out, view the site himself and that his Department would take action immediately,” Cllr Mahon said.
Party colleague, Cllr Raymond Farrell, who seconded the motion added: “It is unbelievable that in this day and age we have a situation in Kesh where people are in fear and trepidation. We are inundated with health and safety regulations and yet we’re in a situation that you wouldn’t get in a Third World country where half the place is caving in. Something needs to be done at top level because people are getting frustrated and the situation really demands immediate action.”
UUP Cllr Diana Armstrong also stressed the need for swift action: “The difficulty is that we have different agencies passing the buck or saying that it’s not their responsibility. We need the Council to mediate.”
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