Council story fails to impress in Courtown

Residents of Courtown have disputed a new claim by Wexford County Council regarding the cause of the severe sewerage and water problems experienced by the town last weekend.

In an apparent reversal of its earlier position, the council said on Thursday that the problems were not caused by increased demand arising from the proliferation of holiday homes in the area.

Water supplies were curtailed during the holiday weekend, while residents complained of seeing raw sewage being pumped into the harbour basin.

In a statement "clarifying the situation", the council said the main sewer in Courtown was blocked on the Friday and Monday of the August holiday weekend. The blockages, caused by rags and grease in the sewer, were cleared without delay.

"The problem was not related to developments which have taken place under the seaside designation scheme," said the statement, issued by the deputy county manager, Mr Adrian Doyle.

"New housing schemes in Courtown are serviced by individual sewerage treatment plants, which treat effluent to a very high standard . . . A water shortage problem occurred in one housing estate. This problem is being rectified by the developer", it said.

Last Tuesday, the council had acknowledged that it allowed recent large-scale developments to go ahead without putting the attendant infrastructure in place.

More than 1,500 holiday homes have been built over the last 18 months as developers moved in to take advantage of the tax incentives for holiday home owners.

Residents continued to insist on Thursday that the rapid rate of development had contributed to last weekend's problems. They claimed water supplies to the town were affected every weekend, when large numbers of holidaymakers moved in.

Disputing the council's claim that the problem affecting the main sewer was promptly addressed, Mr Liam Donegan, a builder and chairman of the Courtown Woods Preservation Group, said raw sewage was being pumped directly into the harbour basin for four consecutive days. "Everyone could see it," he said.

He also insisted that residents throughout the town - and not just in one estate - were affected by the reduced water supplies.

Mr Sean Kelly, a resident of River Chapel, also disputed the council's statement. "I don't know the extent of the water shortage but it happens every weekend, not just on bank holidays."