A man in the Midleton area of Co Cork had an unexpected visitor l
ast week when he made a trip to the bathroom, The man was bitten by a rat
while sitting on the toilet.

Yesterday, Councillor Noel Collins reported the incident to Cork County Council during a Southern Area Meeting, after asking them to investigate the possibility of flushing rat poison through the sewer system.

“The flooding resulted in another problem for residents, that of rat infestation, which really upset many families, mentally and physically, and indeed, one elderly gentleman suffered a rat bite to his posterior while using his toilet, and had to receive immediate medical attention,” he said.

A plumber found a broken sewer pipe nearby, which is believed to have allowed the rat to enter the system.

The council warned that flushing rat poison through the public system could lead to contamination of other water sources, but said that Irish Water are responsible for vermin control within the system.

Cllr Collins added: “I would advise homeowners to keep their toilet seats down when not in use, and to watch their posteriors.”

*Taken from Evening Echo*

The post Furry Friend Surprises Man Sitting On The Throne first appeared on Irish Drain Services.

Prior to the start of 2016, Cork county council inspectors had carried out 245 examinations of septic tanks, of which 137 (56%) were non-compliant.

This year, they have carried out 21 inspections, 15 of which did not meet the required standard, amounting to a non-compliance rate of 71%. Six inspections were carried out on septic tanks in West Cork and all were non-complaint.

Fine Gael Councillor Kevin Murphy said he was concerned at the increasing failure rate. In most cases, septic tanks fail because they are not regularly de-sludged, he said, while Independent Councillor Alan Coleman urged council officials to carry out a public awareness programme on the issue.

Officials said it was estimated there are upwards of 50,000 septic tanks in the county, a number of which are not registered.

If people have not registered their septic tanks, they will not get any government grant-aid should they develop a fault.

Five recent inspections identified major non-compliance issues, which will require significant work, or even the complete replacement of septic tanks, said council officials.

The county council has, on behalf of the Department of Environment, paid out 10 grants to householders who needed to carry out repairs to the tanks. The grants totaled €20,336.

A number of applications are currently being processed by the council.

Ted O’Leary, a senior official with the council’s environment directorate, said there was a significant level of non-compliance and he agreed with Mr Coleman that it would be a good idea if the local authority carried out an awareness programme on de-sludging.

The council is concentrating its inspections in areas where leaking septic tanks could pollute rivers and springs which are sources for public drinking water.

By Sean O’Riordan
Irish Examiner
23/05/16

The post Failing Septic Tanks Increasing In County Cork first appeared on Irish Drain Services.