Breach of the peace

IT SOUNDS more like a war-zone than a seaside village in scenic Co Clare, but vandalism, anti-social behaviour and street drunkenness have escalated to such an extent that locals in Lahinch have sent out an SOS to the authorities.

The petition, which has been sent by the local community council to Clare County Council, the gardaí, several local politicians, Ministers of Justice and the Environment and the President of Ireland Mary McAleese, reads: “Our windows are broken on a regular basis and our doors kicked in; people urinate, defecate, vomit and have sex on our property; our cars are deliberately and casually vandalised almost every night during the summer and large groups of drunk people roam the streets, lanes and promenade until the early hours, shouting, terrorising and intimidating anyone who tries to reason with them.

“There are regular assaults; littering and drinking in public is widespread and the level of noise and air of barely suppressed violence is more in keeping with Temple Bar than with a small seaside resort.”