Former defence minister Willie O’Dea last night sounded a Churchillian battle cry against €10m plans by Irish Cement Ltd to phase out the use of fossil fuels at its factory in Mungret, Co Limerick, in favour of used tyres and solid recovered waste.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission cannot examine all 100,000 emails of a senior executive of cement giant CRH copied by it following a “dawn raid” as part of an investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission cannot use certain materials, including emails of a senior executive of cement giant CRH, seized as part of an investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices, the High Court has ruled.

Shares in cement company CRH are likely to come under pressure today after the company confirmed its premises had been raided by the country’s competition watchdog