Laois County Council are to write to the ESB requesting that they don’t go ahead with routine scheduled power outages in area effected by weather warnings.
The issue came up at the most recent full monthly meeting of the council when Stradbally-based Fine Gael councillor Vivienne Phelan had a motion in relation to the issue.
She specified orange or red cold weather warnings on the back of an incident earlier this year when a number of homes in the Stradbally area were left without power in early January during the really cold spell of snow and ice.
“Over 100 homes around Stradbally received notification of a routine power outage but the notices went out before the weather warnings were in place. I would have thought that in the circumstances, this work could have been delayed and the power outages avoided.
“But no. At a time when we were being encouraged to stay at home, these houses were cut off.
“We are paying through the nose for electricity, we have the highest bills in Europe and being discouraged from lighting fires. The least people should be able to do during those really cold spells – which are becoming more frequent – is to put on their heating and cook dinner.
“Shame on the ESB for going ahead with this work when weather warnings were in place.”
Cllr Phelan was supported by her Fine Gael colleague Cllr Paddy Buggy as well as Cllr Ollie Clooney on the issue.
“Planned outages should be at times of the year when there is a greater likelihood of good weather,” said Cllr Buggy.
“Common sense is all Vivienne is asking for. When there’s weather warnings like that, you don’t turn off people’s electricity.”
Cllr Ollie Clooney was also critical of scheduled power outages. A vegetable farmer who attends markets and regularly works early to prepare his produce, he said he recently got up at 3.30am as the electricity was due to go at 10am.
“The electricity never went at all, it was on all day. It’s not easy annoy me but that did. We’re paying first class prices but often we’re not getting first class service.”
