Protest at Irish Water HQ over west Mayo sewerage plant

WEST Mayo councillors are to protest outside the headquarters of Irish Water over its failure to deliver a sewerage treatment plant for Newport.

They had requested an in-person meeting with the company. Irish Water offered them an online meeting on February 27.

There are concerns that if additional land has to be acquired by CPO for the plant, it will push its delivery date even further down the road.

Councillor Brendan Mulroy said he has been in contact with Irish Water and asked them to come and explain what is happening with the project to the council and the people of Newport.

It appeared, he said, that in-person meetings are now gone.

Therefore, they would have to go and protest at their offices in Castlebar.

Raw sewage, said Councillor Mulroy, is still flowing into the bay. People were being prosecuted and persecuted over pollution, but Irish Water were the biggest polluters in the county and they were standing idly by.

Councillor Johnny O'Malley supported him, saying they had questions they want answered. They would have to protest if Irish Water would not come in and meet them.

Irish Water had said they woud have to CPO land for the plant as the site isn't big enough. That could take years, he commented.

They had been told they would have a plant by 2025 but it was now 2023.

Councillor Mulroy said they had been told firstly that it would be up and running in 2020/21, but it hasn't moved on.

Cathaoirleach Councillor Christy Hyland said Irish Water have to step up to the plate. Unless this is progressed, Newport will not develop in the way it should.