Man questioned over steel theft

GARDAÍ have questioned a man in his 40s following the theft of €300,000 of steel girders which, they believe, were smuggled out of the country.

The girders were stolen from a compound on the outskirts of Cork city and were loaded onto a number of trucks before being taken away in what gardaí described as an audacious and highly organised operation.

The girders, known as RSJs, had been stored at North Esk, Glanmire, in a compound which is adjacent to the former Ibis Hotel. Detectives from Glanmire and Cobh raided a house in Macroom at 7am on Saturday and arrested the man, aged in his 40s. They also seized a number of documents. A Garda source said the man had never come to their attention before but described his arrest as a “significant development” in the investigation.