by Alan Jacques
(Picture: Keith Wiseman)
LIMERICK City and County Council is being called to take immediate action to fix street lighting in Derrynane on the Old Cork Road after an elderly resident was injured in a fall last weekend.
Limerick Fianna Fail TD Willie O’Dea believes that at the very least the local authority need to carry out remedial works on the street lighting before another person is injured. He told the Limerick Post that he has made repeated representations to the Council to have Derrynane estate taken in charge.
“”Last week I warned the Council that there was the potential for serious accidents to occur unless something was done urgently and since then, at the weekend an elderly lady fell and was badly injured near her home in Derrynane as a result of the poor lighting,” he explained.
“The number of break-ins has also increased as burglars are very happy to operate under the cover of darkness. Are the Council going to let this situation prevail for the sake of replacing a few bulbs?”
Deputy O’Dea said the council has informed him that there is a receiver in charge of the estate who is currently supposed to be completing the outstanding works in order to have Derrynane taken in charge. These works include the repair of the public lighting.
“Nothing has been done so far and it’s time for the Council to get directly involved. The residents of Derrynane are paying their property tax, which is supposed to go towards delivering services like basic street lighting. How can the Council justify taking property tax off these people and then not provide them with even the most basic of services?”
According to a spokesman for Limerick City and County Council, the local authority issued a letteron July 29 informing the receiver that the council had received a report regarding a number of lights in the estate being out of order — particularly around houses number 14 and 15.
A letter was reissued on September 9 relating to the non-working street lighting in the estate and an enforcement notice is being issued this week.
