PEOPLE in Shannon who were already concerned about public health, due to foul odours plaguing the town, had their fears heightened on Sunday as emergency services, including bomb disposal officers, transported materials from Enva in Smithstown to Bunratty for disposal.
The incident took place shortly after 7am on Sunday morning, and a garda spokesman confirmed to The Clare Champion that roads had to be closed for a short period of time to allow the material to be moved.
According to the spokesman, there were about five or six barrels of material of concern to be moved. He said two army trucks, two fire brigades, two garda cars and some ambulances travelled in convoy.
The Clare Champion approached Enva for comment on the matter but calls had not been returned at the time of writing.
When Shannon Town Council met on Tuesday night, there was intense anger about the incident with complaints that people living in the town feel unsafe and that companies and regulatory authorities are apparently allowing the most dangerous of materials to be stored near them.
Councillor Sean McLoughlin put forward a number of questions to town manager Bernadette Kinsella regarding Sunday’s events.
He queried what chemicals had been stored at Shannon, what quantity of them there were, what risk there had been to public health and why they had been moved under cover of darkness? He also asked what chemicals continue to be stored by Enva and when Enva had last been inspected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) beyond a check on its documentation.
The Fine Gael councillor claimed the EPA have treated people with contempt and that many agencies were aware of the issue but no attempt was made to tell the people of Shannon.
“The least that could have been done was to notify people there would be a road block on a Sunday morning,” he thundered.
Councillor Tony McMahon was also far from happy. “The concern I have is that if it is necessary for a licensed facility to call in a State body to deal with these products, it indicates they were incapable of handling the products themselves.”
He said people had only found out through the press that items capable of causing an explosion were brought through Shannon, in a manoeuvre that required the involvement of the gardaí and army and said this was “totally unacceptable”.
“This is not what the people of Shannon are entitled to,” the Labour councillor claimed.
Councillor Mary Brennan said Enva gives itself a “glowing recommendation” on its website but she claimed they are clearly not doing something right in Shannon. She said every person in Shannon has a right to know what is going on in their community.
Independent Gerry Flynn suggested that SuperIntendent Derek Smart be asked to come to a council meeting and answer questions about the incident.
He said there can be no question of putting jobs and industry before public health.
Councillor Patricia McCarthy said she has no confidence in the EPA or the Health and Safety Authority at this stage. She said an explanation of what had been stored at Enva is required, as well as information on how long it had been there.
The independent councillor said she presumed the chemicals had been “blown to smithereens”.
“I’m so annoyed, so upset and so frustrated that the agencies that are charged with looking after us are ducking and weaving and doing anything not to tell us the truth,” she said.
Councillor Cathy McCafferty said she had been in touch with the EPA, who told her the chemicals that had been brought away were out of date and had been brought away from labs.
Town manager Bernadette Kinsella is to compile responses to issues raised and provide a full report at a future meeting.
Also at the meeting, it emerged that the county council are going to seek a review of the EPA licence for Enva.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.