Woman awarded €54,000 over neighbour's oil leak - but may be hit with costs bill

A woman has been awarded €54,000 over a heating oil spill from her neighbour's tank which the High Court heard damaged her home and meant she had to find alternative accommodation for more than two years.

However, Tracey Davies, of Dalkey Avenue, Dublin, may have to pay the legal costs of the case since April 2018 because the award falls short of a €75,000 lodgment made by her neighbour's insurers to settle the case on that date. Where an award falls short of a lodgment, a plaintiff can be liable for her own and the defendant's costs.