Horses which came close to drowning on the Island, despite owners being warned about the weather conditions. Pic: John Walsh
DISASTER WAS averted once again on the river thanks to the help of the WSPCA, Slaney Search and Rescue and two groups of brave horses who managed to find their way to safety after becoming trapped in the flooding.
At the Island north of the town the horses were still in situ on Thursday afternoon despite weather and flood warnings being issued to all animal owners. It is understood that these animals were moved to higher ground but found their way back down to the riverside area and, when waters rose in the early hours of Friday morning, they became trapped and agitated.
It is generally accepted that animals should not be near any flood plain once a warning is issued.
These 20 horses were rescued late on Friday afternoon, with the help of the WSPCA, the owners and Slaney Search and Rescue who took to the water to try and coax the animals towards dry land.
Earlier, south of the town, a group of 12 horses were safely removed from the land after they managed to navigate their way to safety at a slipway just opposite the Riverside Park Hotel.
The horses, which had been grazing on the N11 side of the river, became trapped following heavy rain and the bursting of the Slaney’s banks. They were, at 1 p.m. on Friday afternoon, over a thousand yards away from dry land.
[Full story plus a further 10 pages of Flood Coverage only in this week’s Echo]