IRELAND'S leading independent clinical laboratory has admitted that its drivers are using a public footpath in Dublin to transfer diagnostic samples from vehicle to vehicle on a daily basis.

On foot of a Sunday Tribune investigation, a spokesman for Claymon Laboratories admitted that the company exchanges "diagnostic samples, letters and test results" on the side of the public walkway at Dartmouth Square.

Residents of the leafy square in the upmarket southside suburb of Ranelagh . . . who are already embroiled in controversy over the private closure of the square's park . . . are now infuriated that the adjoining Dartmouth Road is being used by Claymon Laboratories in this way.

Concerned resident Rosemary Kavanagh said, "I think that this is extremely serious and I am sure that parents have cause for concern. I am 100% against it and I am sure that everyone in the square would be appalled if they knew what is going on."

Amid their current protracted battle over the ownership of the park, another resident, Romney Keane, told the Sunday Tribune that the residents' association intends to contact Dublin City Council over Claymon's activities. "I am sure it is a high health risk to have the transfer of sensitive samples on a footpath, " she said. "This should be done in an enclosed area and not in a public space."

Having monitored the activities of Claymon's logistics vehicles in the area for a number of weeks, the Sunday Tribune witnessed drivers take boxes, envelopes and other items out of their vans and place them on the footpath beneath the Luas bridge on Dartmouth Road for a period between 12.30pm and 1.30pm each day as they exchange the materials.

Last Thursday, the Tribune witnessed Claymon drivers exchange packages addressed to the Well Woman Clinic in Ballsbridge, the Virus Reference Laboratory in UCD and the Bon Secours hospital in Glasnevin.

Claymon Laboratories' website reveals that the company is also sub-contracted to carry out work for the Health Service Executive and the Irish Prison Service.

A spokeswoman for the Irish Prison Service this weekend said, "Our urinalysis to check for drugs is carried out by Claymon Laboratories. We have a contract with them and part of that contract is that they secure the safe transfer of the samples."

The company carries out a broad range of clinical tests including a range of bloodtest analysis, cervical smeartest analysis and viral screening, as well as urinalysis.

Fine Gael's health spokesman and GP Dr Liam Twomey said, "I am surprised to hear that they are using a public footpath to transfer samples from vehicle to vehicle.

There is a risk of these samples going missing or getting lost.

"All diagnostic samples are treated as potentially infectious material because of the risk of Hepatitis C. In terms of quality control, they should not be exchanging this material on the footpath.

"Claymon are well respected and they should be aware of the quality control standards that have been set in recent years for the transfer of diagnostic samples. I have no doubt that the work they do for the HSE will increase so they should have a look into this practice before that happens."

In response to the Sunday Tribune investigation, a spokesman for Claymon said, "There is a serious traffic problem in Dublin and rather than having each van drive to seven or eight hospitals across Dublin, it is better to have a centralised spot for them to meet and exchange the materials for a short period of time.

"The samples are urgent and it is practical to get them transferred and tested as quickly as possible. The company was using a private medical facility in the area and it is envisaged that it will return to this facility as quickly as possible."

The spokesman claimed that there were "no dangerous or contaminated materials in any of the containers" and that the Ranelagh roadway was being used as "an interhospital postal system for diagnostic samples, letters and results". He argued that "the containers are triplepacked, crush-proof and spill proof and to the highest standards".

When asked if the company was prepared to accept responsibility if a diagnostic sample was left on the footpath through human error or theft, the spokesman replied, "The transfer of materials is policed and monitored by drivers who are trained to a very high standard.

"There are rigorous procedures in place due to the importance of the materials and we have had no difficulties to date."