‘Prisoner in her own home’: Kilbride daughter’s plea over unfinished roadworks

An 80-year-old woman has been left a “prisoner in her own home” after a road outside her Kilbride property was prepared for resurfacing but the work was not completed, according to her daughter.

Jennifer Walker says her mother, Pam, who has osteoporosis, fractures in her spine and significant mobility difficulties, cannot safely negotiate the loose stones and uneven surface left outside their home at Cherrytree Drive.

“She has no choice but to walk over these stones. She can’t use her walking frame, she can’t use her walking sticks. Basically, she’s a prisoner in her own home,” Jennifer said.

The road, which serves two houses in the estate, was scraped in preparation for resurfacing earlier this month. Jennifer said she had been told the work would be completed later that week, but the crew did not return.

The unfinished surface has made it difficult for Pam to get from her driveway to the road using her walking aids, leaving family members having to help her reach a car when she needs to go out.

“It’s not only that. It’s health and safety,” Jennifer said.

She said her mother’s mobility difficulties had already made access to the property challenging before the latest works began. Last May, Jennifer had to call an ambulance, but said it could not get up the hill to reach them because of the condition of the road.

Jennifer said the estate was around 42 years old and that the main part of the development had been resurfaced a couple of years ago, but the stretch serving her home and a neighbouring property had been left untouched.

She said she had spent months contacting Meath County Council and seeking help from local representatives to have the road resurfaced.

After repeated efforts, work finally began earlier this month, with the surface scraped in preparation for resurfacing. However, Jennifer said the work had not been completed as promised.

She said the unfinished surface had left a gap of several inches between the end of her driveway and the loose stone, making it unsafe for her mother to use her walking frame or walking sticks.

Her elderly neighbour is also affected. Jennifer said he is in his 80s and has mobility difficulties, leaving him struggling to negotiate the hill as well.

Jennifer said she had repeatedly tried to contact the council but had struggled to get clear information about when the work would be completed.

She said she had previously been told that the council did not consider the road its responsibility, as the issue related to the original builders of the estate. However, following further representations, council staff subsequently attended the site to prepare it for resurfacing.

Jennifer said a local representative later informed her that the planned work had been cancelled because of a strike and that the council was waiting for a hot box before returning to complete the job.

She said she had been told the work should be completed within two weeks, but remains uncertain about when the road will be made safe and accessible again.

Jennifer said the situation was taking a toll on her mother, who was normally a calm person but had become increasingly upset by the restrictions on her independence.

She said family members had been left trying to manage the situation while also ensuring her mother and husband could attend medical appointments and leave the house when necessary.

Jennifer hopes that raising the issue publicly will help secure a clear timeline for the outstanding work and allow her mother to leave home safely again.

Meath County Council has been contacted for comment