Emergency access at Mayo lake needs to be examined

AN access route for emergency services at Lough Lannagh, Castlebar, needs to be looked at.

The call comes in the wake of a capsizing incident where 20 people ended up in the water on Saturday last.

One of the people who responded at the scene, with all people brought safely ashore, was Councillor Blackie Gavin, who was at the lakeside working with Castlebar Community Clean-up at the time.

He received a round of applause from his council colleagues at the monthly Castlebar Municipal District meeting yesterday for the role he played.

Reflecting on the matter, Councillor Gavin said access to the lake for the emergency services needs to be looked at in a masterplan for Lough Lannagh.

There is, he said, a natural road down through the holiday village.

On the day, the services were in the car park at the lake but that's too far way from the pontoon and where boats launched, he said, at the back of the holiday village.

He gratefully noted also the presence of life buoys, which were thrown out into the water to pull people in.

Councillor Gavin extended thanks to the gardaí, fire service, ambulance personnel and all who assisted at the scene, where people initially through a training exercise was underway.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne told his colleague, who is a strong swimmer, that they were all very proud of the role he played, with all the people out of the water by the time emergency services arrived.

He asked management for a report to be prepared with proposals about how to make the area more accessible to emergency vehicles.