The noise of heavy vehicles driving over manhole covers is causing a great disturbance to Laois people in two towns – leading one family to sell their home because they simply couldn’t sleep.
So a recent meeting of the Borris-in-Ossory/Mountmellick Municipal District heard from two County Councillors.
Fine Gael’s John King tabled a motion calling for the Council to ‘repair and make safe the manhole lids on the street at O’Sullivan’s house, Moore Street, Rathdowney and also in front of the Catholic Church area Rathdowney as these lids are hoping day and night and causing great disturbance to people who are trying to get a nights sleep’.
Cllr King said: “There are quite a lot of elderly people living here.
“Further up the street there are two manholes and a couple bought a property but from the continuous noise of the lids popping, they had to sell their house and move out of Rathdowney.
“I’m asking this job to be done as unfortunately as people get older, their sleeping becomes lighter.
“To solve this problem, I want this job done immediately. I have no doubt that this is an ongoing issue in other towns as well.”
Fianna Fail Cllr Paddy Bracken tabled a similar motion in relation to Mountmellick.
He called on the Council to repair the chamber lid at the roundabout at Connolly Street, Mountmellick.
He said: “We have a serious problem with manhole covers hopping and hopping on Main Street and Lord Edward Street.
“Some of them have been redone, but it is to a very poor and unsatisfactory standard in my opinion.
“I have people ringing me the whole time and the work done still hasn’t solved the problem.
“There is nothing as bad as someone having to live there in the quiet of night with a lorry going across- hop, hop, hop.”
In reply, engineer Edmund Kenny said the Council would inspect the manhole frames and covers at the locations identified and undertake the necessary repairs.
SEE ALSO – In Pictures: Local man springs into action to clean up disgusting dumping at Laois walking route
