Uisce Éireann accused of ‘rocking up and digging’ where it wants as Wexford businesses left without access for seven hours
Wexford PeopleUisce Éireann (UÉ) has been accused of blocking access to three Wexford businesses for over seven hours as it carried out roadworks which had not been announced in advance.
Speaking at the June meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC), Councillor Barbara Anne Murphy said a lane of traffic on Bunclody’s main street was closed to traffic from 12-7 p.m. on June 3 without any forewarning.
“The crew didn’t seem to care, when I spoke to them they said I could report them anywhere I liked, they also had a low-loader which blocked three businesses in for the seven hours,” she said. “Those business owners had no access for the duration. It’s disgraceful, UÉ should not be allowed to get away with it, there should have been proper signage in place and they should have contacted Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in advance.”
At the Enniscorthy Municipal District (EMD) meeting the following week, Cllr Murphy said she “would not stand” for UÉ carrying out works in her hometown unannounced and asked whether a formal complaint could be issued to the water utility company.
Admitting that its crews had a habit of “rocking up and digging where they want”, roads engineer Neil Dempsey said UÉ was experiencing growing pains as it made its transition away from the local authorities.
“It did similar in Davidstown recently,” he said in relation to Cllr Murphy’s complaints. “This is a battle I’m constantly fighting. However, I am hoping that soon we’ll be working better together and that they’ll send notifications in advance of any works being carried out in our areas.”
Contacted for a statement, a spokesperson from UÉ said the works in Bunclody were carried out to “complete the permanent reinstatement of the road following an earlier burst repair on the public network”.
“The works took approximately four hours to complete, with traffic management in place on the day,” the spokesperson said. “The works were carried out in a way that sought to maintain traffic flow through the area and minimise disruption to local access.”
Addressing Cllr Murphy’s complaint regarding the discommoding of local businesses, the spokesperson said: “Every effort is made by the contractor to maintain access for pedestrians, homes and businesses, and the team will facilitate access where required. As with works of this nature, there may be instances where machinery needs to be repositioned, which can result in short, temporary disruption.
“We acknowledge that works of this nature can cause some short-term disruption and appreciate the patience and understanding of local businesses, residents, and road users while essential repairs and reinstatement works are carried out.”
In 2021, the Local Government Management Agency published a report in which it outlined plans to move the provision of all water utility services from county councils to Uisce Éireann. The proposed timeframe under this Framework is to have all Local Authority Water Services fully transitioned to Uisce Eireann by end of 2026.