Fine Gael councillor John O'Hara has called for Mayo County Council and Irish Water to take action on' the continual leaking of sewerage on to the road in the Abbey Court housing estate on the Killala Road in Ballina'.
Cllr O'Hara had a notice of motion down for discussion at the November meeting of the Ballina Municipal District this week calling for action to be taken.
Speaking on the motion, Cllr O'Hara said: "I have been down in this estate on several occasions and the sewerage is coming up on the road and the road is running off into a water course.
"I have pictures of it and a full list of occasions, there was meetings and the sewerage has been affecting the people in that area. I think it is a disgrace in this day and age, they've been on to the developer, he has done so much, but I am asking the council to ask Irish Water to address it.
"It is wrong that the people in this estate are living like this. There seems to be a problem with a pump not working right and every two days the sewerage goes to the lowest point and it goes up to a manhole and out on the road.
"That is going straight into a drain on the side, people go up and down in their cars and they bring that back down on their tyres and for families living in a house and going on outside - as councillors we have to put pressure on the council to take over the estate and there has to be something that can be done. It is constantly out on the tarmac, people are living in it and with sewerage and it is not right."
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Loftus added: "I know a lot of people who have a smell of it coming into their houses, I have requested before myself that Irish Water do something about it. What happens is the pumps goes off and when that happens it creates a smell and an odour and that goes through the pipes and comes out all along the road and those houses are smothered in smell. Something needs to be done."
As the estate is not in the charge of the council at the moment and is still in private ownership, Fine Gael councillor Jarlath Munnelly suggested that the council go down the route of planning enforcement to get the issue solved, which was supported by Independent councillor Seamus Weir.
Head of the district for Mayo County Council, Declan Turnbull, told the meeting that the council will take a look at the reports and look to see what are the next steps to take, but with the estate not being in the council's charge, there was only so much they could do.
Cllr O'Hara urged the council to look at enforcement procedures under the planning permission given for the estate to be looked at to try and get it sorted for the residents.
