Health « Thurles Information

Thurles Consumers Angry Over Failure To Explain Two Week Old Boil Water Notice.

Why Should Thurles Consumers Be Concerned?

Almost two weeks on and Uisce Eireann (Irish Water) has confirmed that it cannot give a conclusive date with regards to the lifting of the Thurles Regional Boil Water Notice*.
[*Note: Three consecutive days of satisfactory results are required before the notice can be lifted.]

The Thurles Regional Public Water Scheme Boil Water Notice was publicly announced first on July 14th last and impacts on some 12,000 consumers. Irish Water have confirmed that work remains ongoing in their efforts to resolve the current issue, which necessitated this unexplained Boil Water Notice.

While Thurles consumers wait for an explanation as to what has caused this Boil Water Notice; last weekend anxious consumers, especially those with very young children, found themselves unable to purchase 5L size bottles of water from local outlets and were forced to instead purchase the more expensive 750ml small bottles.
This issue in supermarkets has now been corrected and this morning 5L bottles of ishka (manufactured next door in Co. Limerick) have appeared on the shelves. Consumers however are advised to shop early in the morning to ensure supply.

Meanwhile, elderly people with no availability to social media, have continued and in some cases are still continuing to use the non-boiled water, unaware of the Boil Water Notices currently being in place.
Note: No leaflets were posted through letterboxes warning of this serious issue and no alternative supply was put in place.

Meanwhile, Irish Water has stated that it greatly regrets any inconvenience caused to the individual homes and businesses in the Thurles community.

Motorist Warning-Pedestrian Traffic Lights On Cathedral Street Non Existent.

Warning to motorists travelling westward on Cathedral Street in Thurles.
Same are being warned that the pedestrian crossing traffic lights have once again been seriously adjusted by possibly some unknown high sided vehicle for the umpteenth time.

Same as shown in picture above now has its Red, Green and Yellow lighting system indicators facing north rather than west. Same is particularly dangerous coming onto evening with the setting sun.

This brings to four the number of pedestrian crossing traffic light system constantly being damaged on a regular basis here in Thurles, and all due to the fact that same are erected too close to moving two lane traffic.

The waste of taxpayers’ money by engineers continues unabated.

FSAI Recall Funny Candy Cup Cake Sweets.

Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) Recall ‘Funny Candy Cup Cake Candy’, due to a possible risk of consumers choking.

The product in question identified is ‘Funny Candy Cup Cake Candy’, pack size: 40g with Batch Codes discerned as KD2349-12-21, KD2577-03-22, KD2828-06-22, KD2972-07-22, KD3251-08-22

The country of origin of these sweets is China.

The above stated batches of this candy are being recalled due to a possible risk of choking.
When consumed, there is the possibility of this product breaking and loose pieces of plastic (1.5cm x 3cm) ending up in the mouth.

Manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, caterers & retailers are requested to remove the implicated sweets from sale and display, and should place recall notices at all points of sale.

Consumers are advised not to eat the implicated sweets.

Letter May Shed Light On Death Of Couple Located In Rural Tipperary Home.

The elderly Smith couple [Nicholas (Nick) aged 82 years and Hilary aged 78 years] are believed to have been dead for some 18 months before their bodies, sadly, were discovered in Cloneen, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, in June of last year (2022).

Their discovery lead many to wonder how often anybody had called to the couple’s door to ask after them. However, new information regarding the mysterious deaths of the reclusive couple made public yesterday, may possibly indicate that they were extremely worried about healthcare facilities in Ireland.

The couple, a retired sea captain from England and his wife, remained undiscovered, in their remote rural home in the Cloneen area of Tipperary, for a year and a half, before suspicious neighbours alerted the authorities, having noticed that their car had not been moved for quite some time. When Garda officers arrived at their place of residence, they found the body of Mr Smith in a bedroom, and the body of Mrs Smith in the sitting room. It was clear from the physical state of both corpses that the couple had been deceased for several months.

It has now been revealed that a torn-up letter recovered from a bin in their home may shed new light on their solitary lives here in Ireland, which may have led and their subsequent deaths.

In a torn five page letter, now pieced back together by a handwriting expert from An Garda Síochána; same reveals that the couple were apprehensive regarding health care facilities then available to them.

Their letter claimed sadly that elderly people were “at risk” from physicians and they “should never have set foot in Ireland”.

The torn five page document also detailed the poor physical state of Mrs Smith, prior to her death, stating that she was “weak due to lack of food” and she was writing with “arthritic hands”.

Garda inquiries leave them to believe that Mr and Mrs Smith were last seen alive just a week before Christmas 2020. On December 17th, 2020, the couple collected a prescription from a pharmacy in Callan, Co Kilkenny, some 20km (12mls) away. Investigators have also examined other documents, a mobile phone and a laptop located and removed from the Smith residence, and have so far not found any evidence which suggests that either of the couple were alive later than December 17th, 2020.

Consumer Alert: Gas Hob Safety Issue

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is warning consumers to stop using particular gas hobs which were manufactured since 2019 and sold here in Ireland.

An issue has been identified with the elbow joint on the connecting pipework of certain models of Belling, Cooke and Lewis and Caple gas hobs. The gas supply elbow joint from the hob to the gas supply may fracture and cause gas to leak. This means a risk to health or even death from burns, fire, explosion and poisoning from inhalation.

The CCPC is urging consumers to check if their gas hob is listed on the three individual product safety information notices below. Affected consumers should immediately stop using the gas hob. The CCPC is in contact with the manufacturers to ensure that they inform consumers of this safety issue and address the risks from any affected hobs. A further update will be provided as soon as possible.

The individual product safety information notices are available to read at the following links:
Belling gas hobs.
Cooke and Lewis gas hobs.
Caple gas hobs.

There are additional brands which have been affected by this issue that have been sold in the United Kingdom. The CCPC is currently liaising with Cata/Culina and Electriq to establish if any of their affected gas hobs were sold in Ireland. In the meantime, if an Irish consumer has one of the gas hobs listed in the UK safety reports below, they should stop using it immediately and contact the CCPC.