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Dublin Live
Dublin Live
National
Kim O'Leary

Actor John Connors says people living at halting site in Dublin are 'sick daily' over dirty drinking water

Love/Hate actor John Connors has slammed Dublin City Council over "dangerously unhygienic" facilities at a halting site in Belcamp Lane in north Dublin, after residents' water turned brown.

The actor's family members live at the halting site, which is managed by Dublin City Council. This week residents reported that their water coming out of taps had turned "murky brown", and that several people in the camp have reportedly become unwell.

Taking to social media this week, Mr Connors said that the council had promised the residents at the camp electricity, clean running water and toilets for many years. He said: "In 2014 after years of our family campaigning for these basic amenities, I happened to be doing press for the final season of Love/Hate. Dublin City Council were out and rigged up our electricity which they told us would only support couple of television for households and lights, we pay for electricity like everyone else.

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"They also promised to be back next week to rig up water and provide toilets instead of our dangerously unhygienic portaloos and we're still waiting. That's eight years ago, and I can't tell you how many family members have fallen ill because of these conditions."

Speaking to Dublin Live this week, Mr Connors confirmed that they are still waiting on the council to take action over the conditions at the site.

The water from the taps at Old Belcamp Lane in Dublin (Instagram/johnconnorsinstagram)

He said: "They've yet to get back in touch with me, I was talking to one of them on the phone that admitted she herself would not stand to live in such conditions and she herself was horrified.

"It's gone on for a quarter of a century and nothing has happened. They keep sending back unspent money every year because they either can't be bothered or they have a discriminatory ideology against travellers, so it's one or the other.

"We are waiting patiently while people in our camp are sick daily," he added.

Dublin Live has contacted Dublin City Council for comment.

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