‘I have to choose between buying food or fuel’

A WOMAN afraid of freezing to death in her local authority home has begun sleeping overnight on a couch in front of the fire.

Majella Cassidy, 48, who lives at Bellview Crescent, off the Old Youghal Road in Cork, said she faces a stark choice every day — to either buy food or fuel.

Her flat is so cold that toothpaste has frozen solid in its tube in the frigid bathroom.

And a rat infestation which plagued the complex in 2006 has re-emerged.

Ms Cassidy, who is in arrears on the council rent, said: “If I pay the rent, I can’t buy coal. If I don’t pay the rent, I’m threatened with eviction. But I have to buy coal. I just can’t keep this up. I want to get out of here. It’s all I’ve wanted for years.”

Ms Cassidy spoke out last night after reading about an inquest into a tragic death in Dublin.

The inquest last week heard that Rachel Peavoy, of 224 Shangan Road, Ballymun, Dublin 9, was found dead in her “perilously cold” council flat on January 11, 2010. A post mortem established she died from hypothermia after the council turned the heating off while regeneration works were continuing in the complex.

Ms Cassidy said flats in her complex have virtually no insulation in the walls and there are huge gaps under the front doors. She said gas-fired central heating, recently installed by the council, doesn’t heat her flat properly.

The mother-of-two, who was forced to give up work for health reasons, now has to light the fire in the living room everyday. She is struggling to survive on €220 a week disability allowance and is spending €80 a week on coal.

“I’m sending €80 a week up the chimney. I’m sleeping on the couch, just to stay warm. I’m spending more on heating than on food,” she said.

Dampness is such a problem clothes have to be dried in a tumble drier before they can be worn. And she said the rat problem is making conditions unbearable.

“They chewed through the wires of a neighbour’s washing machine,” she said.

Ms Cassidy, who has been on the council’s housing transfer list since 1993, pleaded with city officials to find her new accommodation.

She has written to the Minister for Health and a file on her situation has been presented to the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Michael O’Connell.

Mr O’Connell met Ms Cassidy at her home yesterday with several senior city officials to discuss her situation.

“I am doing everything possible to resolve the situation,” he said. “I believe this is a genuine case and I will keep working on her behalf to see if we resolve the issues to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Meanwhile, northside-based Cllr Ted Tynan has criticised the ESB for disconnecting the power supply to family homes.

The Workers’ Party candidate in Cork North Central said his election team discovered the cases after canvassing Gurranabraher at the weekend.

He said families were struggling after running up large bills during the big freeze.

“People do not risk having their electricity supply disconnected unless they are in dire trouble with their family finances,” said Mr Tynan.

He said the €8 million being set aside to re-brand the company as Electric Ireland, should be used to set up a hardship fund to help customers struggling to pay their bills.