Episode Details

Residents in parts of Shannon have been left quite literally in the dark, with claims that some housing estates have gone without proper public lighting for up to three years. Questions are now being raised about safety, accountability, and why the issue remains unresolved, with responsibility seemingly unclear between Clare County Council and the ESB. So how has it been allowed to go on for so long — and when can residents finally expect to see the lights come back on? Joining Alan Morrissey to discuss this in more detail was Shannon Banks Sinn Fein Councillor, Cllr James Ryan. Clare Fm received statements from both ESB and the County Council regarding the issue: Statement from ESB: “Some public lighting faults in Co. Clare may require the attendance of ESB Networks crews to resolve. In such cases, crews are dispatched following a request from the local authority. However, the broader maintenance and repair of public lighting remains the responsibility of the local authority and their appointed contractors. For the majority of public lighting faults, ESB Networks crew involvement is not necessary for repair work to proceed. Where our attendance is requested, ESB Networks prioritises public safety and ensures crews are made available accordingly. It is important to note that ESB Networks does not have visibility of the number or location of public lighting faults, as this information is managed by Clare County Council and their service providers. In parallel with ongoing maintenance support, ESB Networks continues to work closely with local authorities on proactive public lighting upgrade programmes across the county.” Statement from the Council: “The maintenance of public lighting is the responsibility of Clare County Council, with the exception of the motorway network and housing estates not taken in charge by the local authority. Current Lighting issues in the Shannon Municipal District: • There were 5 locations in Westbury estate where recently some lights were not working but they have been unbundled from the direct ESB connection and all lights in the estate are now working. • There is one light not working in the Shannon Banks estate. • In Clonlara there are 3 lights not working. • There are 4 Lights reported to be not working that are part of the ESB Ardnacrusha power station that light the local road but they are not Clare County Council’s responsibility. • There is 1 light fault in Parteen submitted last week awaiting repair. • There are 2 lights in Lakyle estate awaiting repair. Work has commenced in Shannon Town on the Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project (PLEEP) which will upgrade the lighting in Shannon to energy efficient LED standard. Overall lighting faults for the county currently stand at 0.19% which equates to 30 lights out of an overall inventory of 15,500 lighting units. Faults do not always mean a light is out and can range from a light is on all day, a light is too dim or too bright or a request for additional lights.” Image © street light by Marccophoto from Getty Images Signature via Canva