‘Self-clean' Spire costs €450,000 ... to clean

Sky high amount revealed as council seeks firm for upkeep

- DARRAGH McDONAGH

DUBLIN City Council is set to spend €450,000 on cleaning and maintenance services for the Spire over the next five years.

The local authority is seeking tenders from specialised companies to assume responsibility for the upkeep of the 120m monument located on O’Connell Street.

The Spire, which was erected in 2003 at a cost of €4.6million, was originally touted as “self-cleaning” as it was designed to allow rain to remove dirt as it flows off it.

However, it has required the services of cleaning and maintenance specialists at a typical cost of between €80,000 and €90,000 each year.