Campaigners to picket Cullen clinics

THE vigorous campaign of opposition to the introduction of new flat charges for refuse collection in Dungarvan town and throughout Co Waterford is set to escalate in the coming weeks.

Opponents of the €130 charge on households in Dungarvan and €150 in the county have pledged to take their protests onto the streets of the towns and villages, while it is also planned to mount pickets outside clinics being held by Transport Minister Martin Cullen and his Fianna Fáil colleague, Ollie Wilkinson TD.

Protestors who sat in on a Dungarvan Town Council meeting this week made no attempt to conceal their disappointment that councillors didn’t walk out in solidarity with them.

Chairman of the Householders Against Waste Charges group, Eddie Walsh, said: “It’s now down to people power, and the turnout by our members on this bitterly cold night is indicative of the huge level of anger there is out there over these flat charges.

“We will now take our campaign onto the streets, we will place pickets on all the clinics being held by Minister Cullen and Deputy Wilkinson, and we will make it a major issue in the next general election.”

Each of the councillors in turn voiced their opposition to the charge.

The mayor, Cllr Fiachra O’Ceilleachair, said the charge had been introduced over the heads of the councillors and against their wishes.

Town manager Denis McCarthy told the councillors the new flat charge is there and he had no further comment to make.