Furious Dublin locals blast ‘loud & intrusive' drones delivering takeaways as CEO says ‘we're not ignoring residents'
Manna CEO Bobby Healy remained defiant despite concerns raised by local residents and councillors in one test area about noise and
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Residents are complaining about the noise level from the drones
Credit: Deliveroo
The drone firm's whirring machines currently deliver a variety of products including takeaway food, coffee, and ice creams in the Blanchardstown area of
Punters within a 3km radius can order grub from selected restaurants - with their food arriving from above in as little as three minutes.
The service has been welcomed by some businesses in the Blanchardstown area, who say it has boosted trade.
But furious householders in the Dublin 15 Manna pilot area insist the 'loud, intrusive noise'
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Talking to
She added: "Some days you might hear one or two, other days it's five or more in quick succession. You don't know when they'll come, and you have no say."
She also sparked some concerns about privacy an claimed it is an "invasion" of their privacy.
She added: "I think until it comes into your own immediate vicinity, your backyard, you don't have a clue.
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"It's an invasion of our privacy. It's an invasion of our quality of life."
Local Cllr John Walsh fumed: "This is just not the way to introduce a new service or a new technology.
Moment firefighting drones tackle blaze as flames engulf 500ft skyscraper
"It's fundamentally wrong. And what's needed is effective, transparent national regulation."
Manna founder Healy admitted that some complaints have been received, saying: "I've personally answered nearly all of them."
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But despite the turbulence, Healy insisted the company will press on with plans to expand across different parts of Dublin.
'WE'RE LISTENING'
He said: "We've done a number of things. We invest heavily in the technology, we've introduced new propellers that will go live in the next few weeks.
"We're waiting on regulatory approval to put them live, that makes them 40 per cent more quiet.
"So we're listening. We've made a lot of improvements. We've a lot more improvements to come, but we're not ignoring those residents.'
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Healy also added that the service is supporting local businesses and that one local coffee shop in Clonsilla uses the Manna drone system to deliver coffee to customers across the area.
He said: "We're not going to be doing many more deliveries than we're already delivering. We're already grown there."
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Bobby Healy said they're listening to the residents' complaints about the noise and their privacy
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