Tierney’s estate one of first to get higher grade meter
OF ALL the towns and streets in Ireland, the estate where Irish Water CEO John Tierney lives was among the first in the country to have higher grade water meter boxes installed.
The vast majority of boxes being installed nationwide are grade C models – only suitable for pedestrianised areas.
International standards say grade B models should be installed in areas where cars can drive. Irish Water has largely ignored these standards – but in a small number of locations has installed grade B models on a test basis.
A member of the public got in touch with the Irish Mail on Sunday to point out that some of the boxes near his home in Lucan were different to the rest.
It later emerged that Mr Tierney lives in the same estate.
Irish Water refused to confirm whether the estate was one of the first to have the higher grade meter boxes. A spokesman would only say that ‘the decision to install B or C grade boxes is based on engineering requirements’. The MoS visited the southwest Dublin estate on Friday to confirm that the higher-grade boxes had been installed. Upon lifting the lid of one of the meter boxes, it was clear it was grade B because the lid was more than twice the width of a nearby grade C lid.
In the nearby estate Sarsfield Park, Lucan, a five-minute drive from Mr Tierney’s estate, no meters have been installed yet. Residents spoke of their frustration at the prospect of having to pay a set rate, while Mr Tierney’s household can pay metered bills.
John Harte, 56, said: ‘You can’t have someone without a meter paying more just because they haven’t had it installed yet.’