Cashel residents had to be evacuated from their homes after water damage on Saturday morning, during the weekend's adverse weather conditions.

Speaking on the flooding in Cashel, Sinn Féin Erne West Councillor Anthony Feeley said: “Five houses in Cashel were flooded and two people had to leave their homes and go to different accommodation.

“A river flooded the graveyard, and flooded a field behind the houses, and when it ran over the field it flooded the wee houses; the gullies couldn’t take it. There was no damage to the chapel.”

A Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman gave further detail on the flooding in Cashel. She said: “Firefighters were called to [a] 400m [stretch of flooded] road and residential properties [were] substantially flooded.

"Firefighters used pumping equipment, two spades and two shovels to clear the flood water. A 40-year-old female casualty was led to safety by firefighters; she had no injuries.”

The incident began at 9:39am and was dealt with by 12:39pm.

Elsewhere in the area, there were numerous local reports on flooding in areas of Belleek and Garrison.

Local warnings saw flooding reported on the Lattone Road between Belleek and Garrison on Friday morning, and there were incidents of flooding on the Lough Shore Road at Belleek.

The picturesque lakeside village of Garrison was also hit with flooding on Saturday, with photographs showing water bursting banks, broken road surfaces and torrents of water running along the front and back entrances of businesses.

Artist Michelle Duffy of Camlake Canvas described the scenes she witnessed as water from the river rose around her gallery.

Describing the morning, Michelle said: “It had rained from five in the morning, and we drove past the chemist and the tarmac had lifted, and water was starting to bubble up through it.

"The water was gushing down the front and the back of the whole units, where the gallery is, and was in line with my door trim.”

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. Where that water was coming from – I would have called it a drain before, I didn’t even know it was a river. I hope I never see anything like it again.”

Michelle was full of praise for those who came to Garrison’s aid, particularly the emergency services: “The fire crew who came were amazing, they really worked out hard to get the water away. After a while the truck arrived with sandbags, and it was just a matter of sandbagging everything.”

Michelle praised the actions of the local community in Garrison on Saturday with everyone doing their part, including the staff of The Bilburry restaurant who handed out cups of tea to those working to clear the flood water.

Councillor Feeley said: “I want to thank the emergency services, the fire brigade, the rivers agencies and the DFI – they all came out on Saturday morning to help with sandbags, and the fire brigade was pumping away the water as well as Brian and Rodger Flanagan, who used their slurry tankers to help out."

Councillor Feeley thanked the local community and added: “There is a great community spirit in Garrison."

He continued: “I have been in discussion with the river agency, and they said they are going to clean out some of the rivers sooner rather than later, and keep the gullies cleaned out.

“Before all of this, I was getting phone calls all week about the Lattone Road, and [regular flooding at the road is] causing major issues. It has caused major issues with water coming down the fields onto the road and it is very dangerous.”