RESIDENTS of the Longpavement halting site on the outskirts of Limerick city say their lives are at risk due to rats from the nearby former landfill site.
Cornelius Faulkner, a father of seven, says he has been pleading with the council for several years to relocate the families living on the site.
According to Mr Faulkner, just last week, a pet dog was put down after it was diagnosed with Weils disease, a condition commonly spread by rats that is potentially fatal to humans.
He told the Limerick Post: “We are all at risk from Weils disease, the rats are getting in here from the dump. My wife died from that 11 years ago. This week we had a pup that got sick, I brought him to the vet and the vet said he had Weils disease and he had to put him down.
“He told me to go straight to the regional and I was there all night, they told me if I’m not ok in three weeks’ time I have to go back into them. Some child could die from this; it’s very dangerous. If any of the clothes fall off the washing line we have to throw them out, even if they’re brand new. You can’t risk it because of the rats.”
Mr Faulkner says Limerick City and County Council employees spread rat poison on the site after he contacted them about the death of the dog, but he says their response is “not good enough”.
“The rat poison is just like little tablets, they put them into holes in the ground. If a child picked one up they could die.
“This was supposed to have been a temporary site, we were meant to be out of it seven years ago. I’m trying to get out, trying to get them to close it down, but all they keep saying is that they have no funding. Children are getting sick here all the time,” he added.
A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Limerick City and County Council has very recently been made aware of an allegation that a dog had to be put down having been suspected of contracting Weil’s Disease. The local authority is presently investigating the alleged incident.
“The council can confirm that pest control on this site is carried out every six to seven weeks. It would be inappropriate for the council to comment further as there are ongoing legal proceedings in regard to this site.”
