Watercut-offletters were‘issuedinerror’

September 1987

A County Council official allayed fears this week that people could have their water supply cut off even if they have paid their water rates.

At least two thousand people face disconnection next week for failing to pay their charges, but some consumers who have already paid up to date also received letters saying their homes would be left ‘ high and dry’.

But Acting Co. Secretary, John Pierce, has said he can put these people’s minds at rest. Anyone who has already paid in full, or who makes an agreement with the Council before this Friday for payment, will not be disconnected.

He said that ‘some’ letters warning of disconnection were sent last week to people who should not have got them, since their accounts were all up to date. He said these letters were sent in error due to a clerical mix-up in Council offices.

Anybody who has paid up and who still received this letter can disregard it, he said.

His comments came after Cllr. Vincent Byrne had accused the Council of ‘incompetence, inefficiency, and insensitivity’ for sending out a notice of disconnection to a man for allegedly not paying up to the end of August, when in fact he had made full payment on August 8th.

He said there can be no excuse for subjecting someone to this kind of ‘abuse and intimidation’, and called on the Council to aplogise.