It was with great relief when a mother and her three young children got the keys to their three bedroom home in south Meath from the council nearly five years ago. However, an ominous indication that all was not just right was a stench coming from the house. That stench was to continue and get a lot worse over years.
At times it has been so bad they have moved out of the house to her parents home to get relief. On occasions too, the family have all have to wear face masks in their own home because of the foul odour. It would appear the source of the problem is that waste water cannot get away into the town’s sewage system. The toilets back up, the dishwasher back fills as do the sinks in the kitchen, toilet and bathroom. There is a smell from the clothes when used in washing machine too, points out the mother.
Her youngest son has a weak immune system and is anemic. He also had episodes of diarrhea and vomiting. They are waiting on results of blood tests. ”There’s days the smell is so bad you can’t even eat in the house, this doesn’t help him either. ” she says. The mother puts it down to the horrible foul smell and ”dirty water”, they have to put up with.
Despite the efforts to flush and clear the waste water system, the problem constantly returns. This year a subcontractor has visited the house twice to deal with ”the smell that hits them”. At times, it gets so bad we just pack and move to my parents” she said. The mother’s elderly parents are also dealing with their own health issues and we have to move in with them. The house, in her opinion, is not fit for habitation.
The family are now on a transfer list but with a housing shortage, they don’t know when that will happen. They just cannot continue to live in the circumstances they find themselves.
A number of councillors have done what they can to help. Cllr Joe Bonner has called on Irish Water to get their act together. ”The waste water is not getting away properly and that is their responsibility. We can’t blame Meath County Council, it has nothing to do with them. The systems are not functioning properly.”
” We also need to get an upgrade on the reservoir with better capacity in the area. Irish Water needs to sort out the mess in the estate. There have been numerous complaints of sewage issues in the Ashbourne area. We need action by Irish Water to solve these problems, why should people have to live this way.” he concluded.
Other issues that affect the house include cracks on the walls, floors and ceilings. Other houses in the estate were affected by pyrite problems, the house was surveyed back in November 2023. The mother is sure the house has these defects as well. In one instance, the bathroom door got jammed and we couldn’t get it open for a time and my child ”had a meltdown”, with a panic attack, the mother said.
”I challenged the condition the house was in and was told as long as I couldn’t get a coin into the crack, nothing would be done.” A survey was done back then but I’m not aware of the results of the report. Meath County Council were made contacted and quoted me a case number at the time. The person doing the survey came in took notes and examined the house. He told me there were issues with pyrite at the time and work has been carried out in other houses the estate.”
Another councillor Helen Meyer has also tried to help get the family moved but with the shortage of housing, it is not easy. ”There is a housing policy called Choice Based Letting in Meath County Council. You register and express your interest to be moved, then housing deem the most deserving case. We are two and a half years on the list and have not been successful in getting moved.” the mum said.
The situation for the family has also been difficult with a lot of antisocial behaviour in the area. Threats have been made to me, with one adolescent saying ”He will stab me and I’ll get away with it.” These are also issues we deal with, ” we keep to ourselves”, the mum tell us.
When asked by Meath Live will a transfer solve the problem, you sense the hopelessness in her voice. All they can do is hope for a favourable resolution.
The mother has requested anonymity in this article.
