Travellers tap into rail company's electricity

IARNRÓD EIREANN has put 24-hour security in place at a freight yard after senior railway officials were astonished to discover that Travellers had hooked up to their electricity supply.

A spokesman for the company said serious disruption could have been caused to train services on the Cork-Cobh line if the unauthorised tapping of electricity had interfered with points and signalling.

Iarnród Eireann spokesman Barry Kenny accused those responsible of “ludicrous, reckless behaviour,” adding that the Travellers had attached electricity cables to their caravans in the past week. He said senior engineers in the company had never witnessed such problems before. Mr Kenny confirmed that the cables had been removed from the Travellers’ unofficial halting site at North Esk, Glanmire, Co Cork, last Sunday: “We have been concerned at the Traveller presence in the area since they moved in there about three months ago and we have reported a number of problems to the gardaí.”