Ratoath residents issue ‘collective complaint’ against Irish Water

A GROUP of Ratoath residents has made what is believed to be the first ever "collective complaint” against Irish Waater.

They have made the complaint about the company's very poor record of providing water to the homes, businesses and services of Ratoath and the surrounding areas.

Gerry Rooney, a Workers’ Party member, has organised the complaint which involved a significant number of local residents.

“The water service to Ratoath and surrounding areas has always been very poor with regular interruptions to supply. However, in early summer of this year, two very large interruptions occurred each extending for three to four days. This was then followed by periods of almost weekly interruptions. The extended interruptions to the water supply had a detrimental impact on many local businesses with some having to temporarily close and workers being sent home with an attendant loss of pay”.

He said that while all homes were affected, those with young children and elderly residents were impacted most in terms of cooking, cleaning and maintaining personal hygiene.

"The homes of those who are medically compromised in any way must have struggled to ensure infection free environments and these challenges would of course have been compounded in local nursing homes and GP surgeries. The situation was so critical that Meath Co Council had to supply bottled water to housing estates and businesses in the area.

“The group of complainants argue that Irish Water has operated in an inefficient and ineffective manner in terms of Ratoath’s water supply. They want changes to the way pipe modernisation work is carried out generally, improved communications and consultations and an upgraded emergency service to deal with unplanned interruptions speedily”.

Irish Water has a two stage internal complaints system through which the complaints of the group are now being processed. The minimum time to process a complaint is between four and five months. Where complainants are not satisfied with the response of Irish Water, the complaints may then be referred to the independent Commission for the Regulation of Utilities.