BLAME GAME

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen was last night accused of ignoring the Government’s emergency response plans, instead, trying to pass the blame for poor handling of the severe weather crisis onto local authorities.

As the nation faced into another week-and-a-half of Arctic conditions, Environment Minister John Gormley warned essential salt supplies needed to grit treacherous roads could run out “within days”.

Fine Gael said the cabinet had wasted three weeks “in hiding” before the Emergency Response Committee was convened yesterday when Mr Gormley was installed as the minister in charge of co-ordinating the national response.