Gardaí and fire and rescue services attended the scene in Co. Laois last night (Monday, September 22) after a tractor entered the Grand Canal.

According to Gardaí and emergency services, the incident did not result in any injuries.

Gardaí confirmed in a statement to Agriland that emergency services attended the scene of a tractor entering the Grand Canal near Vicarstown in the east of the county.

The incident occurred yesterday evening at around 7:00p.m.

In a post on social media, Laois County Fire and Rescue said: "Our crews responded to an incident where a tractor had gone into the Grand Canal last night.

"Thankfully there were no injuries," the fire service said.

The crews also worked to prevent any potential environmental issues that may have resulted from oil leaks, but no leaks were found.

"The boat from Stradbally Fire Station was used along with the environmental protection unit from Portlaoise Fire Station to place oil booms [absorbent materials used to contain oil spills] in case of any fuel or oil leaks, fortunately no leaks occurred," the fire and rescue service said.

"Crews also assisted getting the lifting lines on the tractor for recovery," the service added.

In other news, with hedge cutting season underway, Gardaí recently took to social media to ask road users to be mindful that they may encounter tractors on the roads.

In a post on social media, gardaí in Co. Donegal issued a reminder to all road users to be mindful of hedge cutting when travelling, particularly when using country roads.

In the post, gardaí said: "There is likely to be a visible increase in this type of large machinery in operation along the roadsides over the coming weeks.

"Please drive with care and remain alert at all times."

Recently, Leitrim County Council began taking applications for a Hedge Cutting Grant Scheme, which is open to all applicants for hedge or tree cutting along any public road in the county.

The grant is €75/km of hedge, with a minimum of 1km per applicant. An additional grant of €50 is available for tree cutting (10 trees/km).

Leitrim County Council said that this scheme is in operation to encourage the cutting of roadside trees and hedges.