4,000 families living in ‘deplorable’ conditions

ABOUT 4,000 Travellers are living in “hazardous and deplorable” conditions — half of whom are living without water, sanitary and electricity services, a new report claims.

Conducted by the Irish Traveller Movement (ITM) and chronicling the status of Traveller accommodation in Ireland over nine years, the report concluded local authorities have failed to deliver on programmes underpinned by the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act 1998.

The ITM says there are 422 families, about 2,000 people, living on roadsides or in private fields and gardens. A further 390 families, up to 1,900 people, are estimated to be sharing accommodation. In some cases, they are reportedly living three families to a house or three trailers in a small bay, with upwards of 16 people using a portable toilet.