AN 81-year-old man found himself trapped in his own home last week after water meter installers blocked vital access to his driveway.
Mr George Carley of Davitt Road is wheel chair bound. The gap left by the workers to gain access to the driveway was too narrow for the wheel chair to pass through.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Carley’s daughter Jacinta said that while her family had no objection to the installation of the water meter in principle, they were enraged by the method in which the work was carried out.
After the footpath outside was dug up to facilitate the insertion of the meter, the site was cordoned off with orange plastic barriers. The gap between the wall and the barrier was just 27 inches, meaning that it was not possible for a wheelchair to pass through.
Jacinta Carley said that had her father needed emergency medical treatment this would not have been possible given the limited access to the premises.
Ms Carley also took issue with the fact that no written notification was issued to the residents to advise them that the work was imminent, three days prior to the works’ commencement.
George Carley was not the only wheelchair user affected by the situation.
His granddaughter Leanne Carley who was in the house at the time noted that an elderly woman leaving the nursing home at Wygram was forced out on to the road because the footpath was blockaded.
The Carley family contacted a number of local representatives in response to the situation to seek the immediate removal of the obstacle.
Labour county councillor George Lawlor attended the scene and liaised with the water meter installers on behalf of the family.
Executive engineer with Wexford County Council James Whelan also arrived to assist in resolving the issue.
The crew working on this section of the water meter installation project were sub-contractors carrying out work on behalf of Irish Water.
A foreman with the organisation contacted the family and informed them that the workers had been advised to rectify the situation before disembarking that evening.
The family have lodged a formal complaint with Irish Water and have received confirmation that the matter is being investigated.

Water meter installers walk away as our photographer took a photo during a disagreement with members of Carley family in Davitt Road. Pic: Jim Campbell

No access for a wheelchair. Cllr George Lawlor with members of Carley family in Davitt Road as the water meter installers blocked the entrance to their home. Pic: Jim Campbell