More than 20 ‘very vulnerable’ people living on boats in Tipperary’s Lough Derg
There are more than 20 “very vulnerable” people living on boats on Lough Derg, councillors in Tipperary were told.
At the April meeting of the Nenagh Municipal District (MD), councillors were given a presentation by Brian Treacy and Peter Harty from Waterways Ireland, who gave an update on the works that they were doing to look after Lough Derg, and other waterways in the district.
Waterways Ireland have also taken several abandoned boats out of the lake in Tipperary, which will now be auctioned off in an attempt to recover some of the costs of their removal.
“We identified four harbours that have lots of vessels that don’t move,” Mr Harty said.
"In the harbours we surveyed, we found that 90pc of these vessels don’t move, there are a handful of liveaboards, which for some people, is a better option than being homeless.
"We are very empathetic and aware of the challenging situation that they’re in, and we deal with this all across the country,” he added.
For boats that are abandoned or that Waterways Ireland cannot contact the registered owner, the body can remove boats from the water and sell them off.
"There is a level of expense to lift them and take care of them,” Mr Harty told the councillors.
The cost to take a boat out of the water is €1,000, the meeting heard, and Waterways Ireland have to keep them in storage for 42 days before they can dispose of them. However, many boats remain in storage for a number of years before they’re sold.
"There’s also a level of amenity abuse, these are boats that to keep them in a commercial marina would cost between €1,500 to €3,000 per year. These people who own these vessels have sadly either died, developed dementia, some have gone to prison, so the boats end up in these corners of various waterways and end up blocking access for all,” Mr Harty added.
Following the presentation from Waterways Ireland, Fianna Fáil councillor John Carroll said it was a “disgrace” that people would leave their boats in one spot all year.
"It’s a disgrace that some people would take that casual an approach to leave their boats there year-round, knowing well the rules,” he said.
Fine Gael councillor Phyll Bugler asked the Waterways Ireland representatives about houseboats that are on the lake, and what the situation was with them.
“There are approximately 22 people living on vessels on all sides of Lough Derg,” Mr Harty said.
"These are people who are among the most vulnerable in our society, and in a large number of cases, they are one step away from homelessness. Across all the waterways, we work really closely with liveaboard communities, and we do so with respect and in a way that tries to manage them,” he said.
Mr Harty added that people are allowed to live on boats in the lake, but said that commercial marinas were more appropriate for this as they don’t have the same rules about having to move the boat every few days.