Have you suffered an illness as a result of the Irish Water Contamination? At least 52 people fell ill after a failure at the Creagh water treatment plant caused contaminated water to enter the public drinking supply.

If you were one of those to fall ill – or your loved one was – please contact us for advice. Those who were seriously harmed as a result of the breach may be entitled to pursue legal action.

Water did not have “appropriate level of disinfection”

It has recently become clear that failures at the Creagh water treatment plant in Gorey, County Wexford, were responsible for a spate of illnesses earlier this year. A statement issued by Irish Water describes how a “power failure and a chlorine pump failure resulted in water leaving the plant and entering the public supply without the appropriate level of disinfection for approximately a five day period in August 2021 (19-24)”. There were also water quality issues at the plant in Ballymore Eustace, which supplies drinking water to parts of Dublin.

Consequently, at least 52 people fell ill, some of whom were hospitalised. The actual number could be higher, as both Wexford County Council and Irish Water originally denied any wrongdoing. In fact, the council failed to report the contamination until the matter had been resolved – some five days after the problem began. During this time, local representatives in Gorey repeatedly asked if reports of illnesses in the town could be connected to the water supply, but their queries were always dismissed.

In the statement, Irish Water said: “This incident was not notified to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the HSE (Health Service Executive) until 26^th August, preventing a timely risk assessment of the impact on drinking water quality and to allow interventions to be taken that could have protected public health”. Irish Water has blamed this on “communication issues” within Wexford County Council, but chief executive Niall Gleeson concedes that Irish Water “should have known”.

Were you affected by the Irish Water contamination scandal?

All 800 water plants across Ireland will now be audited, starting with the 20 largest facilities. However, that is little comfort to those who endured days of vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, passing blood and dehydration. It does not change the fact that many residents drank water that was unsafe for human consumption, causing over 50 people to fall ill through no fault of their own. And while many were able to self-medicate at home, some were so unwell that hospital treatment was required.

If you were one of those to fall ill – or your loved one was – then we recommend you get legal advice from the solicitors here at Mullins & Treacy. Although apologies have been made, this does not serve as sufficient redress for your pain, suffering and financial losses. But there may be other avenues open to you, such as pursuing a personal injury claim. This would ensure that you are properly compensated for your damages. As specialists in this area of the law, we can advise you further.

Contact us now

Have you been affected by the Irish Water contamination fiasco? Contact us now for legal advice. To find out if you can make a claim, contact us for legal advice. We are client focused and results driven. Call us on 051 391 488 or email reception@mullinstreacy.ie for a free no obligation enquiry.

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