Call for more communication from utilities

Photo © Tipp FM

A number of people in Cashel reported that they had knocks on the door late at night recently from men claiming to be carrying out works.

It was initially thought to be some kind of scam but has since turned out to be genuine.

Local Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne said it has since emerged that they were a company called Shareridge Limited who are a contractor engaged directly by Uisce Éireann and were working at Upper Friar Street.

Speaking on Tipp Today earlier he said this was an unacceptable way to operate.

“They didn’t even knock on door in some of the houses, they started knocking on the windows to get peoples attention from 10.10pm the other night telling people not to park on (water) meters that there would be works going on.

“On all counts that is completely wrong. One of the first calls we actually got was a family that were getting married the day after. Can you imagine the worry…are they scouting out house because they know we’re going to be gone the next day.

Martin Browne says Uisce Éireann and their contractors need to communicate better with households.

“We all remember as we were growing up if the ESB or someone was around you got the little slip of paper in the door that on a set date there may be disruption to your ESB…that you’d always have a couple of days’ notice, maybe even a weeks’ notice. But for any company to think it was to go around knocking. Some of the people were in the house by themselves, women and elderly.