A Blackrock family has been forced to flee their home in McGrath Park following the discovery of a sinkhole at their residence on Sunday morning.
Gary O'Donovan woke early on Sunday morning, June 20th, to discover a sinkhole in the driveway of his family's home. The sinkhole was so large it almost swallowed the O'Donovan family's car.
The sinkhole is believed to have been created by a burst water main. Gary had contacted Irish Water on Saturday evening after noticing running water in the area. The company came out to inspect the area but the water had dried up, and they were due to return on Sunday to continue their inspections.
Two units of Cork City Fire Service arrived at the O'Donovan's home at approximately 7am on Sunday. A structural engineer is expected to arrive today to assess the situation.
The O'Donovans (Gary, his wife and three children) are currently staying in a hotel, with relatives looking after their two dogs.
In a statement released on Sunday, Irish Water said "Irish Water, working in partnership with Cork City Council, continue to work on site in McGrath Park, Blackrock to ensure the area is made safe and to establish what additional works need to be carried out. There will be no widespread water supply interruption due to remedial works that were carried out on site earlier this morning and Irish Water are engaging with all other stakeholders and affected families at this time. Irish Water apologises for any inconvenience as a result of this issue. Customers with queries or concerns about the quality of their drinking water should contact the Irish Water customer care helpline, open 24/7 on 1800 278 278 or via Twitter @IWCare."