Gardaí seek closure of unofficial halting site
Gardaí were called to the site, adjacent to the northern end of the Glanmire bypass, at around 1.30am yesterday after receiving reports that passing cars were being stoned.
A garda spokesman said that gardaí kept a presence in the area for most of the night, but didn’t make any arrests.
Last Sunday morning gardaí were forced to close off a section of the road near the unauthorised halting site after three cars were allegedly damaged by flying rocks and stones.
That incident is believed to have been sparked after several people were informed that a relative of theirs had died after he lost control of his car which was being pursued at the time by gardaí. The dead man was subsequently named as William Anthony O’Driscoll, 36, from Model Farm Road.
“We are taking this (latest) incident very seriously. This could have resulted in somebody being seriously injured.
“The council must take some responsibility for this, it is not an official halting site,” the garda spokesman said.
Local county councillor John Gilroy said yesterday that he had spoken to senior county council officials and urged them to act immediately.
He added that the council had to find a long-term solution to housing the people living at the site, but in the meantime they must close it as soon as possible.
“This site is not an official halting site and it’s totally unsuitable.
“There is a huge amount of disquiet about it locally,” the councillor added.
The chairman of the Glanmire Area Community Association, Michael Burns, said that a number of people living near the unauthorised halting site were unhappy with it.
He added that it didn’t have a full rage of proper sanitation facilities and it was “unsatisfactory in this day and age that people had to live there”.
Mr Burns added that he hoped the county council would come to a quick resolution on the issue.
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