‘Extremely distressing’ - Waterford pensioners in panic amid 'serious' back garden issue

Waterford pensioners are in panic amid water pipes bursting in their back gardens, a council meeting has heard.

The issue was raised by Fine Gael councillor Frank Quinlan at the October plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Quinlan said: “This is a serious issue that’s been brought to my attention recently. There’s legacy issues surrounding pipe snaps in older areas around the city and county.

“When this has happened, Uisce Éireann refuses point blank to take any responsibility because it’s on private property.”

Cllr Quinlan said that whilst the pipes are bursting on private property, they are part of a public sewage system that is over 100 years old.

He added that it was “extremely unfair” that Uisce Éireann expects the householder to deal with pipes collapsing in this manner.

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“It’s affecting nearly eight or nine houses along that road and these are all pensioners who have to pay for this. They don’t have the money to pay for it,” he continued.

“It’s extremely distressing and these are people who are in their 80s, literally are living on their pension and expected to pick up the pieces for this major, major issue.”

Cllr Quinlan concluded by asking what the council can do about it and requested that Uisce Éireann be contacted about it.

In response, Director of Services Seamus De Faoite said: “As the housing authority, we are no longer the sanitary authority, nor do we have the budget for same.”

Mr De Faoite said the issue had been raised with the council previously and that it wasn’t just a Waterford issue, but insisted that there is engagement with Uisce Éireann.

Several other councillors echoed Cllr Quinlan’s sentiments on the issue, expressing their frustration at Uisce Éireann’s inaction and lack of engagement.

Fianna Fáil councillor Eamon Quinlan suggested that the council take legal advice on the issue because it “can’t have a dozen or two dozen houses in an area without sewage facilities due to the inaction of Uisce Éireann”.

Meanwhile, Sinn Féin councillor Joeanne Bailey said that she had requested a review and a letter to be sent regarding the issue months ago.

She added that in the past, the council would have arranged to go into gardens and clear out any pipe blockages, but that had been taken away “all of a sudden” when Uisce Éireann took responsibility for water services nationwide.

The Mayor of Waterford City and County, Cllr Seamus Ryan, made a rare interjection to say that he was “very conscious that meeting after meeting, Irish Water is coming up”.

Mayor Ryan asked if the council can contact Uisce Éireann to request a meeting again, instead of council executives “having to defend the indefensible”.

In response, Director of Services Ivan Grimes said that Uisce Éireann had recently wrote to all the local authorities to arrange workshops and that he would ask Waterford Council to be brought to the front of the queue.

However, this idea was rejected by a number of members, who wanted the meeting to be held in public. Cllr Eamon Quinlan accused Uisce Éireann of “avoiding public scrutiny”.

Independent councillor Declan Clune was the last to speak on the issue, describing Uisce Éireann as “absolutely the worst organisation that I’ve ever dealt with in my whole life".

He added: “They should be shut down or certainly [have] a change of management at the top because they’re a disaster."