Protesters occupy county council offices in dispute over water supply

A LOCAL authority was last night preparing to seek a court injunction to remove protesters involved in a water supply dispute from a County Hall.

Five members of an action group have occupied Limerick County Council offices since Monday night.

Officials are pursuing legal measures to remove some members of the Bleach Lough Retention Committee from the council headquarters.

The protesters, who spent the night in the building, object to their lake supply being replaced by water from the River Deel.

Limerick County Council recently connected the Pallaskenry area to the Deel supply.

Objectors have been preventing pipes being laid which would open up the wider area around Kildimo to the river supply.

A delegation from the water group attended the monthly meeting of the county council in the County Hall, at Dooradoyle, on Monday afternoon.

They refused to vacate the public gallery after the meeting and gardaí were called.

One of the protesters, Dan Foley, said: “We have got tired over the years of talks. Nothing has materialised. What we are doing is making a stand. We didn’t want to disrupt the meeting but we have rights, too.”

Mr Foley said people who have recently been switched over to the river supply are now buying bottled water.

One of those who stayed overnight in the council building, Tom Clarke, was yesterday replaced by his wife Breeda.

Limerick County Council said the lake supply was not adequate to meet growing housing needs in the area and had inadequate pressure.