Fire officers described the damage to Douglas Village Shopping Centre as “a major structural failure” as plans for partial demolition were announced.

The Justice Minister has rejected suggestions the new Cork Prison — with in-cell TVs, gyms, a garden, and family-friendly visiting rooms — is too plush for inmates.

The most expensive prison ever built in the State, at a cost of €35m, will open in Cork this December. Construction is to finish by the end of next month.

A disgruntled construction worker was sacked today after scaling a 52-metre crane in a dangerous lone protest over the pension rights of builders.