COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
QUESTION NO. 16
QUESTION: Councillor B. Bonner
"To ask the Chief Executive to investigate the problem of flies in Clondalkin Industrial Estate allegedly emanating from the Greyhound facility?"
REPLY:
The Greyhound facility located within Clondalkin Industrial Estate is licensed by the EPA and all complaints regarding odour, flies etc lodged through South Dublin County Council are forwarded to the EPA for their investigation.
However, the Environmental Health Service is aware of a particular unit in Clondalkin Industrial Estate which has complained persistently during 2015 of flies within their unit.
The Environmental Health Officers enforce legislation on behalf of South Dublin County Council for matters dealing with public health. The EHOs promote compliance with this category of legislation in order to ensure, for example, that blocked or broken drains not within the ownership of the local authority/Irish Water are repaired by the owner(s) so as to prevent sewage presenting a public health hazard to the general public. This office also enforces legislation to abate public health nuisances typically caused by accumulations of refuse and other similar waste.
Matters pertaining to infestations of certain pests are also dealt with by the EHOs using HSE legislation ie Rats and Mice Destruction Act 1919 as amended by the Health Acts 1947 – 2004. However, no legislation specific to flying insects is enforced by EHO’s.
The EH Service investigated the area of Clondalkin Industrial Estate following receipt of a complaint from a unit within the estate that they were experiencing a problem with flying insects.
A neighbouring landowner removed dozens of large wheelie bins from his site as a possible source of flying insects. The building to the rear (Cappoquin) was investigated using considerable staff resources due to liquidation/receiver information being difficult to obtain. Some clearance work was needed within that building and some repair to drainage lines was requested and achieved. There were no other obvious sources of an insect infestation.
The EPA were advised on the 28th July 2015 that there was a complaint that there were an increased number of insects in the area of Clondalkin Industrial Estate allegedly coming from the Greyhound site.
The complainant was contacted and advised that the EH Service could only react to an identified problem or public health nuisance. He was advised that if there was a specific nuisance that we could address, then we would do so. To date, the complainant has not provided any evidence to this effect. It should be noted that the complainant subsequently engaged a commercial pest control company to investigate his complaints and they could not determine the cause of his difficulties.
There is nothing further this office can do for the complainant in this instance.
In conclusion, the Greyhound Site is licensed and inspected by the EPA, and the EPA have taken enforcement action against Greyhound as appropriate.