Local home owners impacted by mica urged to join court action

NORTHERN Ireland owners of holiday homes in Donegal and defective homes in the North, have been encouraged this week to join the High Court action already underway on behalf of 1,600 owners of defective homes in Donegal and elsewhere.

The call was made by Shaun Hegarty of the not-for-profit organisation, Defective Blocks Ireland.

It is funding a landmark High Court legal case on behalf of the homeowners.

Mr Hegarty said those from Northern Ireland who own homes in Donegal should join the action which is expected to grow further with cases from other home owners whose homes are crumbling because of defective materials used in the aggregate for blocks and cement.

Last month, Dublin based law firm Coleman Legal served more than 1,400 writs through Defective Blocks Ireland, on behalf of homeowners.

The cases are against Cassidy Brothers Concrete Products Ltd., Donegal County Council and the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

The landmark legal case is seeking compensation on behalf of homeowners where there is a shortfall of payment outside of the defective concrete blocks grant scheme established by the Irish Government.

“Just like Donegal homeowners, many homeowners in Northern Ireland are finding themselves in the position of having discovered their homes have been built with defective concrete blocks from Donegal.

“There are also many people who have holiday homes in Donegal that are affected by defective concrete blocks. At the moment, there is nothing in place in Northern Ireland should your home test positive for deleterious materials, there is no planned grant scheme or funding to assist homeowners. If you are one of these homeowners then you should get in touch with us,” Mr Hegarty said.

He explained that if homeowners have tested and discovered levels of pyrite and pyrrhotite in their homes, there is a facility for them to join the High Court legal action in the Republic.

“There is no cost for an affected homeowner to join and all legal costs are being funded by the Defective Blocks Ireland group, funded by Buncrana businessmen Adrian Sheridan and myself,” Mr Hegarty added.

Homeowners in Northern Ireland, and holiday home owners based there, can get in touch with the team at Coleman Legal in Dublin by emailing defectiveblocks@colemanlegal.ie.