Fears have been expressed that a person will suffer a serious injury on a public pathway in Shannon, which has been extensively flooded as a result of a major unresolved leak for months.
Residents in Shannon are up in arms of the delay in fixing a leak on a pathway between Dun na Rí and Cluain Aoibheann, which is also used by householders in Rineanna View.
Rineanna View resident, Kathleen Doherty warned the huge pool of water, which contained mud and other undesirable material, was a serious health hazard, particularly for young children if they slipped and fell trying to walk through it without realising how deep it was.
Ms Doherty complained she couldn’t use this pathway to walk her dogs and can’t understand why it has taken to long to fix.
The 72 year- old pensioner warned that anyone who is short sighted could easily fall off the walk caps that were placed on the pathway as a short term measure to facilitate some use of this public right-of-way.
Having contacted Irish Water (IW) on November 16 last, she confirmed that the water authority had received numerous complaints from other disgruntled residents, the first of which was logged 31 days previously concerning the inordinate delay in resolving this issue.
She expressed concern that some people were throwing litter on to the pathway after it had inadvertently become an unofficial dumping ground.
She said a trolley was also removed from a large pool of water and left in the corner of the Rineanna View estate.
A Shannon Councillor has already requested Irish Water to fix a major leak, which is preventing young children from using a pathway linking their homes with a national school.
Councillor Gerry Flynn, who has made representations about this issue to the relevant authorities has expressed concern this pathway has effectively become practically unusable since the leak first emerged a few months ago.
The Independent Councillor said this pathway was used by children attending St Aidan’s National School, which underlined the importance of resolving this problem as quickly as possible.
A spokesperson for Irish Water said it is aware of the issue and is engaging with the householder and Clare County Council. It pledged to put a plan in place to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
Dan Danaher
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.