A family is to be evicted because of local authority red tape over where they live.
Tracey Hughes, her partner and their five kids have been living in a rented house in Drogheda, Co Louth.
The landlord has put the house in the popular Highlands estate up for sale and is prepared to sell it at market value to the State.
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Tracey’s family have been on the Louth County Council housing list for four-and-a-half years.
The local authority indicated it would buy it but then pulled out of the deal after discovering the property is just inside the Meath border.
Meath County Council then told the family it won’t buy the house because they are not on its housing list. If the family moved off the Louth list, they would then go to the bottom of Meath’s queue.
A distraught Tracey said; “ The whole situation is an absolute nightmare.
“We are good tenants, we have looked after the property. We are from Drogheda and live in Drogheda.
“The estate where we live is split between two counties - Louth and Meath – and we are caught in the middle between the two councils.
“The landlord has been more than fair and is willing to sell the property to either county council so we can stay.
“We would not qualify for a mortgage because my partner has been off sick and is only now back working again.
“All the post that came to the house said Drogheda, Co Louth, yet the eircode is Co Meath.
“Louth County Council said it would buy the property if it was in Louth but can’t because it is in Meath.
“Meath Council won’t buy it because we are not on its housing list.
“We were due to leave at the end of May but the landlord has agreed to let us stay on for another month because one of the kids is doing his Leaving Cert.”
The authorities have told the family they will have to split up when they leave because they have nowhere else to live.
Tracey said: “It is a shocking situation.
“My partner and his son were told they will have to go to the local homeless shelter while me and the other kids will have to go into emergency accommodation.
“I haven’t slept for weeks. I honestly don’t know in the name of God what we are going to do.
“We never thought we would ever be in this situation. The landlord is decent and getting out because he is losing money on his house.
“We are doing our very best to get somewhere else to live but can’t find anywhere.”
Drogheda Sinn Fein TD Imelda Munster has lobbied Housing Minister Darragh O Brien to intervene in the case.
She said: “The council whether it is Louth or Meath should be buying this house and this family should be allowed to stay in the property.
“For both councils to walk away because of red tape is scandalous.
“ There were only five properties to rent in the whole of Drogheda over the past few days.
“One of the councils needs to urgently intervene and stop this family being made homeless.
“There are thousands of people like them who will be caught in conflicting county border traps in the months ahead, especially people on the Dublin housing list renting in Meath, Louth or Kildare facing eviction orders.
“There would not be a problem if the eviction ban had been maintained.”
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