The residents of Boho feel "abandoned" and "forgotten about" as once again their lives have been severely disrupted by flooding.

In an issue that has plagued residents for decades, Sunday saw the Samsonagh Road , Aghaherrishand Road Lisdead Road flooded.

Charlene Maguire spoke about the impact of some residents in Boho who have to cross over ditches with ladders and cross over two fields and walk up to a mile to reach where their cars have been parked.

She highlighted how the isolation caused by the flooding is concerning for access to services. Speaking about her own mother who is 70, Charlene said: “She doesn’t drive, she had a fall last week and actually broke a bone in her arm and we didn’t know if we were going to get her off the floor and she didn’t want us to phone an ambulance but if it was this week, if she needed an ambulance this week, nobody would be getting to her. Air Ambulance would be the only thing if it was lucky that would get into us.”

Charlene continued: “I feel like we are always forgotten about, that flood could sit like that for the next week if it wanted to and we would be left here for a week before anyone would think to come here and ask us do we need anything."

Joanne McCrory spoke out about the floods and said: “If they could look at something to control the water level, it seems to always back up here but at least if they would make some attempts to try and do something and alleviate it.

“A week ago we could see the Sillees River backing up when we were travelling in and out to Enniskillen. If we can see it surely the agencies can see it."

Joanne continued: "You do feel abandoned, we're used to it by now, we should have it down to a fine art but it is very difficult circumstances to live in in this day and age. If any of us needed emergency services, what if there was an accident? Imagine if there was a house fire and you were surrounded by water and the emergency services couldn’t get to your house."

She concluded: “We shouldn’t have to wait until something does happen [for there to be a solution]."

Business owner and resident Dessie McKenzie added: “It’s a giant engineering scheme and it may involve the Rivers Agency to gain access to people’s land.

"It would be a massive task but I do think not enough is being done to alleviate the problem. I remember when I was young there was River Agency's men with their high vis jackets on, their boots and their spades and they would have been opening drains and letting water through. Those guys are gone, those jobs don’t exist anymore, it has all been changed."

Explaining some of the practicalities he said: “To go to school you have to get up an hour and a half earlier in the dark, park your car a mile away and wade through fields with wet gear on to get to the car or get to the bus stop.”

Discussing what could be done to resolve the issue, he said: “There was lots of money around during the pandemic, a lot of it was very welcome and kept people’s businesses going and maybe kept people going.

“When it comes down to something like this, ‘it’s too dear and too much money’. We are not even seeing the figures, we aren’t seeing an estimate, we aren’t even seeing an engineers report, we can’t see what it would cost and what would need to be carried out.

“I would like to see a proper engineer explain it to the people, I think that’s the least we deserve.”