Theft of parking ticket machine costs €22k

New information from the Office of Public Works shows the costliest incident across a two-year period involving its property was the theft of a car parking ticket machine.

While hardly a precious artefact, replacing the machine — stolen from the National Botanic Gardens in Dublin 9 — still cost the OPW €22,296 including Vat, making it by far the costliest item it had to repair or replace in the two-year period of 2015 and 2016.

Other incidents included damage to a pillar at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham, minor damage to a Louis XVI marble clock and some chipping to a throne at Dublin Castle, possibly caused by someone sitting on it.