A Cork family forced to leave their home five years ago after a burst water main caused significant damage to the property, have appealed to Uisce Éireann to make good on promises to help them.
Gary and Annmarie O’Donovan, along with their three young children, had to leave their home at McGrath Park, Blackrock, in June 2021 after a rupture in a local water main caused a huge sinkhole beneath their property.
The incident caused significant structural damage to the house.
According to the O’Donovans, the water created a channel beneath the foundations of their home which led to severe structural cracking on both internal and external walls.
The property was later condemned as unsafe for habitation.
It has resulted in the family being out of their home for the past five years, and involved in what they describe as a “David and Goliath” battle with Uisce Éireann.
The O’Donovans say that despite initial assurances, the national water utility has yet to resolve the situation or provide the necessary financial support to facilitate their return home.
In the aftermath of the mains rupture, Uisce Éireann’s then Regional Operations Manager Margaret Attridge apologised on RTE’s News at One for what happened and said the priority was to look after the O’Donovans.
The O’Donovans said they did get help from Uisce Éireann initially.
The sinkhole caused significant damage to the house
They received three payments to help them with rent and accommodation costs for the first two years, but those payments stopped almost three years ago, they said.
“We weren’t given a frank and honest answer as to why there wouldn’t be any more funds provided, but basically the funds that we got all along were without prejudice, I guess is the term they used, meaning just because we got money didn’t mean they were accepting liability. So they just stopped,” said Mr O’Donovan.
He said that left him paying nearly €3,000 a month on a rental property for his family, as well as about €1,200 in mortgage payments on a home they can no longer live in.
RTÉ News asked Uisce Éireann why they stopped making payments to the O’Donovans and whether there is a financial limit on the extent to which they are able to compensate families in cases like this.
The company was also asked if it accepts responsibility for the damage caused, and if it plans to remedy the situation so the O’Donovans can move back into their home.
The O’Donovans say they have been advised that the house needs to be demolished and rebuilt
Uisce Éireann declined to answer those questions, but did say that a situation like this involves “complex considerations in relation to liability, pre-existing circumstances, and the scale of remediation necessary.”
The O’Donovans are now taking a High Court action against Uisce Éireann, seeking compensation for financial loss and damage to their home.
Mr O’Donovan said he has been left with no option five years on from the incident, and is seeking accountability.
“I suppose from my perspective, it’s really simple what happened here, as in, I was living in this house, happy, the night before the incident. And the following day, after a massive, completely obvious failure of a water main in front of my house, I was made homeless. and I’m still waiting just for some accountability from someone.”
“It’s just a constant heavy cloud over us and over our family. It affects our life every single day”
RTÉ News understands that Uisce Éireann maintains that it is immune from prosecution under the Water Services Act and denies any negligence. However, the water utility would not confirm this when contacted.
It did say that once the High Court process of sharing documentation is complete, there will be a further opportunity to resolve the matter.
The O’Donovans say they have expert engineering advice stating that their home needs to be demolished and rebuilt. They believe Uisce Éireann should take responsibility for the damage and should make good on their promise to look after them.
Ms O’Donovan said the long wait for a resolution is placing a huge burden on their family.
“The constant financial pressure is really affecting us every single day. Just chronic stress for the whole period, the whole five years since it’s happened. I’ve thought about it every day, I wake up with nightmares. It’s just, it’s very difficult to distract myself, it’s very difficult to think about anything else. So it’s just a constant heavy cloud over us and over our family. It affects our life every single day.”
Mr O’Donovan added: “I feel helpless, like David and Goliath, you know. Again, like I said, you have a massive engineering organisation, and me, just an ordinary guy, fighting and fighting and fighting.”