Hundreds of homeowners in Donegal are still waiting anxiously for a resolution after discovering that their houses are built with defective concrete blocks.
The problem in the north of the county emerged four years ago when a local engineer, Damien McKay, went on Highland Radio to talk it.
The radio station was inundated with calls from homeowners facing similar problems with the crumbling blocks that come from a single supplier. Cracks have appeared on exterior walls around the area, and some residents have had to move out.
Mr McKay estimates that up to 3,000 homes may be affected.
The difficulty is due to a combination of low cement content and a high level of the mineral mica.
“If the mica content is high, more water is needed in making the blocks, but if the cement content is not increased accordingly, the block ends up being sub-standard.”
Image credit: Irish Independent