Flooding continues at Tara Mines

Meath County Council has been urged to give whatever assistance it can to Tara Mines as efforts continue to stem the flooding that has halted production at the mine.

The call, from Cllr Paul McCabe came following comments yesterday by General Manager, Gunnar Nyström in which he said they hope to stop the flood within the next few days.

Cllr McCabe said the incident has resulted in a great deal of uncertainty and consternation among the many hundreds of staff employed either directly or indirectly at Tara Mines.

“I understand that a substantial body of water has been disrupted, resulting in the main tunnel to the new 'Tara Deep' ore deposit being flooded. It has been previously suggested that this 'Tara Deep' project could extend the life of Tara Mines for over 20 years. It appears, sadly, that this is now in serious jeopardy because of this extensive and unprecedented flooding.”

He said he was not entirely sure how Meath County Council could help Tara Mines, but given the level of employment and contribution that Tara Mines makes to the local economy in Meath he suggested the council offer any assistance they can.

Speaking on Morning Ireland yesterday, Mr Nyström said everyone was at work at the mine.

“We have a very skilled workforce here at Tara and all employees are needed.”

He said he could not imagine there would be any lay-offs for workers and said that safety was a major priority.

“All risk assessments have been done,” he said.

“We have a solution and we have a plan and we hope to stop the flow within days,” he said.