Mica scandal 'could affect hundreds of NI homes'

Kate and Danny Rafferty noticed cracks and bubbling forming on their walls over a number of years

A law firm representing mica-affected homeowners in the Republic of Ireland has said there could also be "hundreds" of cases in Northern Ireland.

Thousands of homes in the Republic of Ireland have crumbled because of bricks made of pyrite and mica.

The minerals absorb water, which can cause walls to crack and crumble.

A Londonderry family has estimated it could cost more than £100,000 to fix their home after mica was detected.

Coleman Legal LLP has said more and more homeowners are coming forward in Northern Ireland believing their homes may also be at risk.

"We have had about twelve [people] up to recently, but that number has now gone way up and we are just dealing with that at the moment," Mr Coleman told BBC Radio Foyle on Monday.

"I think we are heading up to about 30 at this point and our information tells us that there are hundreds of homes affected by this scandal in Northern Ireland."

Mr Coleman said many of the people coming forward are living in houses in border areas between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Danny and Kate Rafferty, from Beragh Hill Road in Derry, believe their home is one of the first confirmed mica cases in Northern Ireland.

Their house was built between 2005 and 2006.

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"People are just blind to the fact it has come over the border," Kate Rafferty told BBC Radio Foyle.

Homeowners in counties Donegal and Mayo have been particularly affected in the Republic of Ireland

"It's going to cost us a lot of money and, on top of that, if we have to move loads of stuff out of the house in order for the walls to come down, where do we put it?

"I do worry because I'm not really sure where we're going to go or what we're going to do."

The couple first noticed cracks forming on some of their walls a few years ago and after paying for an engineering survey, the bricks tested positive for mica.

Their story was first reported by the Sunday Independent newspaper.

Mr Rafferty said he wants a functioning government in Northern Ireland so victims can be compensated.

Colum Eastwood said any homeowner in Northern Ireland impacted by defective blocks should be protected as "a matter of urgency"

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said any homeowner in Northern Ireland impacted by defective blocks should be protected as "a matter of urgency".

"This concern has been building over the past couple of months and we need to see people get very active to try and resolve this issue for all of our community," Mr Eastwood said.

"This is a major concern and I think this will only become a growing concern and my fear is this will be many houses and many families will be impacted by it."

In 2016, an expert panel was set up in the Republic of Ireland to investigate problems with homes affected by mica and another mineral, pyrite.

Thousands of homeowners - primarily in counties Donegal and Mayo - have been affected.

In 2019, the Irish government approved a €20m (£17.2m) repair scheme.

But many homeowners said that the scheme was not fit for purpose.

Last year, a compensation scheme for homeowners affected by crumbling blocks was announced by ministers after years of campaigning.

In September, a 10% levy on concrete blocks was announced as part of the Irish government's budget.