This article is from page 13 of the 2007-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
FOUR babies slept in a room in an Ennis creche where the smell of must was “overpowering” – according to HSE inspectors who called to the Eee
HSE pre-school inspector Carmel Devane told the court yesterday that as a result of an anonymous com- plaint, she and a colleague arrived unannounced at Hopscotch Child- care and Montessori in March 2006.
She said she got a “strong smell of urine from the sanitary accommo- dation area, despite the fact that the Windows were wide open”.
“There was no hot water in both wash basins and the bin attached to the wall was dirty,” she said.
Asked was it satisfactory, she re- plied, “No it wasn’t. Proper cleaning procedure wasn’t in place.”
She said she noticed a musty smell from a sleeping room where four babies were asleep. She also saw two dirty cloths on a radiator in the elrentoee
“IT was concerned about the sanitary accommodation,” she said.
Her colleague Margaret Neylon said the strong smell of must from the sleeping room was “very over- OXOuios ub area
“Ms Baker said the smell was due to a child having a soiled nappy. We didn’t accept that. It was a smell of must,” she said.
She said the toilet bowls were dirty and hadn’t been flushed.
Defending solicitor Niall Casey said, “There was a smell of urine. What do you expect? It’s a toilet fa- cility.”
He said he was concerned there was an over reliance on an anonymous complaint.
“The complaint to me was an over- riding misconception that they had when they arrived at the premises and that has tainted their evidence,” he said.
“No child was prejudiced. No child was injured,” said Mr Casey.
Cathal Minihane, representing the HSE, said there was ample evidence
that the sanitary facilities were in a dirty condition.
“I’d certainly prefer to have a smell of a cleaning product rather than urine,’ he said.
“The HSE 1s not looking for perfec- tion but a certain level of hygiene and cleanliness. A creche should have hot running water,’ said Mr Minihane.
Mr Casey applied for the charges to be dismissed. Judge Lucey dismissed the case relating to the record-keep- ing, but did not rule on the other two counts until later this week.
One of those is an allegation that Ms Baker failed to ensure that fix- tures and fittings were in a clean and hygienic condition, while the other relates to an alleged failure to ensure there were adequate suitable sanitary facilities provided.