Broken water pipe left unfixed as ownership questioned

A broken pipe which has been pouring water on to the west pier in Dún Laoghaire for the past eight months, is the responsibility of the owner to fix, Irish Water has said.

However, members of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council claim ownership of the pipe is unknown and argue it could be difficult to establish and it doesn’t appear to serve any existing premises.

Some councillors maintain the pipe served a soap factory which operated in the west pier area in the 1950s, but which is now gone.

The pipe is situated on open ground in the vicinity of a scuba training centre, a scouts’ hut and a wastewater pumping station all at the west pier.

At a recent meeting of the council’s Dún Laoghaire area committee members concern was expressed that while the uncertainty continues, the upsurge of water from the underground pipe is causing pot holes in open spaces with water flooding on to the pier and damaging the surface there.

A motion calling on Irish Water to fix the underground pipe was recently passed by members of the council’s Dún Laoghaire area committee.

Councillor Karl Gill said the issue highlighted the "fact that councillors used to be able to pass a motion instructing the water services department to fix leaks, but now must plead with Irish Water to do so".