This article is from page 9 of the 2013-03-26 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
SIX cars have been burned out on Clare County Council property in North Clare in recent weeks – while an attempt has also been reported made to set fire to a house in one of the traveller accommodation units in Ennistymon.
Lahinch based councillor Bill Slattery (FG) said that the situation at some of the councils traveller accommodations units in Ennistymon was become dangerous.
“I think the next thing that will happen is that a house will go up in flames. It has been tried before [in Ennistymon], or so I have been told. We will have another situation like the Ashline situation in Ennis,” said Cllr Slattery.
“A third car was burned out outside one halting site over the weekend, that makes six cars burned out between the Deerpark and the Kilfenora Road site in recent times.”
Speaking at yesterday’s North Clare Area meeting of Clare County Council, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG), said:
“There may have been six cars recently but the real number is probably closer to 66.
“The only way to solve this type of situation is to attach fines to social welfare payments.
“These people are fined but they can’t pay the fine – they go down to prison, say hello to the guard on the way in and wave goodbye to him on the way out,” he said.
“But if they have to pay for their actions out of their social welfare payments, it won’t be long before they realise that they can’t keep doing what they are doing.”