This article is from page 5 of the 2008-06-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
RESIDENTS of the Acha Bhile housing estate in Ennis fear that they will be left carrying the can for thou- sands of euro in repairs for faulty and dangerous fireplaces.
More than 14 houses in the new es- tate have been without heating since a serious house fire last November raised questions over safety.
However, a number of residents in the new eco-home development have expressed concern that their claims are “not being taken seriously” by UK-based warranty company Pre- mier Guarantee.
After bringing the matter to the at- tention of contractors Cronan Nagle, residents decided to pursue the mat- ter through the UK-based insurance firm.
“We weren’t 100 per cent sure what was happening. Nobody was telling us anything but after that incident in November, Bord Gais came out to each of the houses affected and dis- connected the fireplaces.
“Nobody would tell us what was going on except that the fireplaces had to be disconnected,” said resi- dent David Morgan.
“We are really worried that we are going to be left carrying the can for Wenn
“We are not getting any answers
about this from anyone and it is very frustrating.
“T contacted Clare County Council, I’ve contacted Bord Gais, Cronan Nagle and the Commission for En- ergy Regulation and eventually came to realise that I was going nowhere. Now we don’t know exactly where we are going to proceed because the warranty company in the UK are not being forthcoming with any in- formation as to how they are going to honour the contract that we have with them.
“It’s very frustrating to invest a quarter of a million in an eco-friend- ly home and then be told that your fire is not going to work.”
In a correspondence to Pamela Marchant-Ragan of Premier Guaran- tee, Acha Bhile resident Sean Keane outlines his annoyance at the situa- tion.
“My frustration at this stage is un- paralleled and I do not feel my claim is being taken seriously at all.
“I have been very patient to date in these negotiations and have tried to avoid a legal route so that we may reach an amicable resolution,’ he said.