ON FOOT of complaints by a leading Letterkenny businessman regarding a road closure yesterday evening, Irish Water have defended their works insisting that prior notice was provided.
Enda Nicholls, proprietor of the Arena 7 entertainment complex, hit out after the Letterkenny-Ramelton road was closed from 6 o’clock yesterday evening in front of his premises.
“They didn’t let us know about these works at all,” Mr Nicholls told Donegal Daily.
“There was no permit for the closure of the road. It was very frustrating. It’s the attitude of them too, They just come and turn the whole place upside-down without any prior warning.
“The first we knew about it was when the Irish Water men went into Thomas Keys’ at about 4.30 and asked them to close the back gate to stop the traffic come through there.”
Arena 7 reopened last week following a three-month closure during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mr Nicholls said: “We are only back operating for one week. They had three months to do this work. Why could that work not have been carried out during that time?
“It’s frustrating. We’re only just up and at it. We stayed opened but, to be quite honest, we’d have been as well being closed.”
However, in a statement issued to Donegal Daily this evening, an Irish Water spokesperson insisted that these works – which will also take place overnight tonight from 6pm – were advised in a weekly update to the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and local elected representatives.
The statement said: “Irish water can confirm these works are part of the Letterkenny Sewerage Scheme as detailed in our weekly update to the Letterkenny Chamber of Commerce and Elected Reps in Letterkenny last Friday.
“The information is also provided on our website at the following link: https://www.water.ie/projects-plans/letterkenny-sewerage-sche/
“As detailed in the weekly update the works along Ramelton Road are as follows:
· Permanent reinstatement works will commence at 6.30pm on Ramelton Road on Tuesday, 7 July.
· These works will be carried out overnight to minimise impact to traffic.
· Traffic management will be in place during the night works.
· These works are anticipated to last for two nights.
· The road will be reopened to two-way traffic by 7.30am.
“The Contractor working on behalf of Irish Water also undertook a letter drop along Ramelton Road in advance of the works commencing.”
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