NEWCASTLE West locals are holding their breath this week, hoping that the “gaseous odour” that has filled the air sporadically for a number of years, will finally leave for good.
A smell, described as “noxious” by residents, has been plaguing the town on and off since 2000 and in recent months has been forcing the closure of businesses, while some residents have said it is effecting their health.
Cllr Patrick O’Donovan told the Limerick Post this week that the “stink” is still prevalent in the town and that he will write to the HSE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lodge formal complaints about the matter.
The County Council has spent substantial resources and time in efforts to discover the cause of the odour, with local engineer Jim Condon having told this newspaper:
“We’ll keep investigating it until we get to the bottom of the cause – something is getting .into the system that is not normal waste, because it’s not a sewage smell but a gas smell”.
Another sewage problem has been occurring on the outskirts of the town, at Castleview House, where owner John O’Brien had to contend with raw sewage flowing from a manhole outside his house, under the gate and toward his front door.
“It’s absolutely disgusting”, John told the Limerick Post.
“People have been running their cars through it and so it gets spread along the street. It’s extremely unhygienic”.
After numerous investigations by the council, the problem now seems to be at bay, but John is reluctant to assume the best.
“I have a feeling they found something down there and didn’t tell me. If it comes back I will definitely be straight on to the council again for a permanent solution. This is not acceptable”.
