A Ballymun family are at their wits end dealing with a nasty stench of sewage in their home for over a decade.
Linda Donnelly realised upon moving into her home in Ballymun that there was a “diabolical” smell of sewerage coming from her front garden. She has been in regular contact with Dublin City Council over the years in an attempt to sort the issue, but to no avail.
The problem peaked during early 2020 when the shores in her garden began to overflow with sewage. Linda explains that the family had to put up with this particularly bad stench for over three weeks, alleging that Dublin City Council did not prioritise the incident because of the lockdown.
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She told Dublin Live: “There was sewage all over my front garden for about three weeks and we were breathing it in. The sickening thing is that my sitting room window is three steps away from the shore.”
The ongoing stench is causing the family stress and they have experienced health problems in recent years. Linda’s son suffers from migraines, while her husband often feels nauseated.
The family says that moving away is not an option as they have invested every penny into their home. Linda strongly believes that they should have been made aware of the issue before moving in.
She said: “I would’ve liked to have known this was a problem at the very beginning, so I could have moved on and bought somewhere else on the property ladder. My husband is likely too old to get a mortgage now, and because I’ve had breast cancer I probably wouldn’t be able to get one myself.”
She says that while Dublin City Council call out to unblock the pipes from time to time, the temporary fix does nothing to eliminate the odour from her home. Linda has gotten involved with the Ballymun branch of the Community Action Tenants Union to try and find a resolution.
She has now attended local meetings to try and highlight the issue. She says that consultation with TDs has led her to believe that the problem with the sewage would be incredibly expensive to fix, possibly costing millions.
Linda adds: “I just wanted to know the truth. I wasn’t getting answers anywhere else. Lads would be sent out to lift and unblock the shore but I’d tell them that it was pointless, the smell was still here when they were leaving. “
The issue has also made her reluctant to open up her home to visitors as she finds it embarrassing. The family repeatedly use candles and diffusers to try and mask the smell, usually in vain.
Dublin City Council stated they do not discuss individual cases for privacy reasons when contacted for comment.
A spokesperson said: “Dublin City Council does not deal with maintenance requests via the media. The tenant should contact their Local Area Housing Office to discuss their options and they will provide an update on their situation and endeavour to find a solution.”
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