Man blockades home to stop his eviction over unpaid bank loans

A man has blockaded the entrance to his home in Co Limerick with 30 tonnes of baled silage to prevent a threatened eviction over unpaid bank loans.

Seamus Sherlock, 46, a separated father of five, said: “I had to place 40 big bales, each weighing about three quarters of a tonne, at the entrance to my home because they could come any hour of the day or night to evict me. I got word from the county registrar on Thursday that I was being evicted from my home without further notice.”

He said Royal Bank of Scotland had secured a court order against him over borrowings on his home and some land for “a sum of about €250,000”.

Mr Sherlock, who lives at Feohanagh near Newcastle West, said he tried to deal with the matter, claiming that last year he lodged a substantial sum with his solicitor, but the bank would not agree to his offer.

Mr Sherlock runs his own pro bono advice service, Life after Debt, to assist people with debt and home repossession problems.

He said: “I have given people advice in court on how to save their homes and I had up to 30 people a day, from all over the country, contacting me for advice over their debts.”

He said he had been singled out due to the success he has had in fighting the banks. Two years ago he chained himself to railings outside the ESB headquarters in Dublin to protest at disconnections of people with electricity debts.

Mr Sherlock said neighbours have been calling to give him support in his latest protest.

“They are bringing food and anything we need. I have been told the gardaí will be brought in to remove me from the house.”