Northern Ireland council to explore extent of mica problem, weeks after first home on this side of the border identified

The move, by the Derry City and Strabane District Council, comes just months after the first case of a house in Northern Ireland contaminated by mica was identified in the area.

Mica is a material that can be found in concrete blocks that has led to severe structural problems in thousands of homes in the Republic of Ireland.

Dubbed the 'mica scandal', problems first began to emerge in Co Donegal in 2011 that eventually led to a government scheme to provide redress to thousands of those forced to repair, or demolish and rebuild, their homes.

In November, Londonderry couple Danny and Kate Rafferty said they are facing a £100,000 bill to fix their home after they discovered it was built with blocks containing mica.

Speaking to the News Letter, Co Donegal campaigner Garrett Harte said that case would likely prove to be the "tip of the iceberg", adding: "Do you think that concrete was sold for just one home in Northern Ireland?"

Now, the local council has begun attempting to collect data to determine the scale of the problem.

A Derry City and Strabane council spokesperson said it had "embarked on a data collection exercise to quantify the number of residents in the council area whose properties have mica."

The spokesperson continued: “The purpose of this exercise to collate data only as the council cannot carry out any form of mica testing on any property within the city and district.

“This data collection exercise will allow council to quantify how many homes or properties within the Derry and Strabane District that have already been tested and deemed to be affected by mica.”

Those impacted are asked to contact the council with evidence they have been impacted.

The move comes after councillors passed a motion calling on the council to “recognise the ongoing problem regarding mica and the potential problems associated with this issue, and calls on council to assist by quantifying the number of our residents whose homes are affected by this issue and to explore the need to further expand governmental compensation schemes to include residents in our city and district.”