An old Fermoy chestnut will hopefully be cracked in the next number of weeks when works to repair the footpath by the town park on the Mallow Road (opposite Christ Church) are expected to start.

It was hoped that after a wait of four years, the eyesore would have been repaired during the summer months while schoolgoers were on holidays but The Avondhu understands that the contractor appointed to carry out the works, pulled out.

It is now believed that a different company (Glas Ltd) will undertake the project and although they are expected to begin the repairs by the end of the September, Cllr Frank O’Flynn remains cautious.

“I welcome the updated report but I won’t believe it until I see shovels in the ground. This has gone on for far too long and it’s a disgrace. The first impressions of any town are very important and this is the first thing a lot of tourists see when the arrive in Fermoy. I look forward to the progress but I want to see men on site and shovels in the ground,” he stressed.