A Woman In Her 70s had To Take Matters Into Her Own Hands To Tackle A Sewerage Issue In Castledermot

Questions linger about the adequacy of infrastructure maintenance in the area.

A woman in her 70s had to take matters into her own hands to address a pressing sewerage problem in Castledermot.

With no resolution in sight from local authorities, she resorted to cordoning off a burst sewerage pipe herself, using traffic cones to contain the issue.

The incident, which plagued Lerr Avenue over the entire bank holiday weekend with a foul stench, has been a cause of concern for residents who have labelled it a health hazard.

Despite multiple reports to Uisce Eireann and Kildare County Council, the situation remained unresolved for a number of days, prompting the elderly resident to take action.

Residents of Castledermot have voiced their frustration, stating that the issue was reported to Uisce Eireann, who then shifted responsibility onto Kildare County Council. However, neither entity provided a solution until yesterday.

In an interview with Kildare Today, Castledermot resident Catherine Madden expressed her dismay, highlighting how the situation had impacted the community, especially children who were unable to play outside during the recent bank holiday weekend.

Madden recounted her futile attempts to seek assistance, stating that Uisce Eireann redirected her to Kildare County Council, only to be met with initial reluctance to address the problem.

It wasn't until Madden escalated the matter to media outlets and local representatives that action was finally taken. Kildare County Council intervened yesterday afternoon, at around 3 pm, to resolve the issue.

Madden revealed that council officials informed her of the potential for similar incidents in the future, indicating broader infrastructural challenges within the area.

Despite the intervention, questions linger about the adequacy of infrastructure maintenance in the area.

Kfm reached out to both Kildare County Council and Uisce Eireann for comment.

A spokesperson for Uisce Eireann said: "The sewerage infrastructure in Lerr Avenue/Abbeylands is private. It has not been taken in charge by Uisce Eireann. There is a process by which water services infrastructure that is connected to the public system can be taken into public ownership called ‘taking-in-charge’. Taking-in-charge involves either an application from the estate developer, or from a majority of the qualified electors, who are owners or occupiers of the houses involved, to the relevant Local Authority."

"The Taking in Charge (TIC) of residential estates is the statutory responsibility of the Planning Authority, under Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This TIC process includes other public services; roads, footpaths, public lighting etc.  Uisce Éireann is a consultee in the process for the water and sewerage infrastructure."

They added: "The Local Authority were on site yesterday, Tuesday May 7 taking actions to alleviate the immediate problem with follow on work to take place following investigation to prevent re-occurrence."