Hunger striker pitches tent at County Hall over poisoning by gas fumes

A MAN began a hunger strike outside Cork County Hall yesterday, claiming he is being poisoned by fumes from gas boilers.

Tom Hopkins, aged 60, from Ardcarrig in Carrigaline, said he felt he had no option but to go on hunger strike to highlight the situation.

“I’m not leaving County Hall until this matter is solved,” he said.

The council has been paying for the installation of gas central heating in a number of its houses in Ardcarrig.

But Mr Hopkins said the vent taking fumes from one of his neighbour’s boilers is spewing fumes into his home.

“I have no problem with the gas going into the estate,” he said.

“But the fumes coming out of the vent are affecting my house and my health. It’s frightening.”

However, both the council and Bord Gáis said all the installations in the estate adhere to all required safety standards.

But Mr Hopkins said, on the morning of November 6, he woke up to find his house full of fumes. “It was like the exhaust of a car,” he said.

He began his hunger strike at 7.30am yesterday and remained outside County Hall for the day.

A number of council housing officials spoke to him but Mr Hopkins refused to leave.

“I want the flues removed from around my house, and when I get that in writing, I’ll go away,” he said.

Bord Gáis said its engineers have visited Mr Hopkins’ home on numerous occasions and are satisfied that the location of the flue is in accordance with required standards.

“On our visit, we also checked for levels of carbon monoxide. These were found to be negligible,” a spokesperson said.

“Bord Gáis is happy to assist any of the parties involved in resolving this issue, if required.”

A council spokesman said the positioning of boilers is strictly controlled by Bord Gáis regulations on proximity to windows and party walls.

“While we cannot comment on individual cases, I can confirm that all work carried out at Ardcarrig, Carrigaline, complies with all relevant building regulations and is inspected by Bord Gáis safety controls.”

Mr Hopkins had a tent and a sleeping bag with him yesterday and vowed to stay on hunger strike outside County Hall for at least a week.