Pickets at new schools as €14m owed

The Department of Education is facing a showdown with schools subcontractors who have been left out of pocket after the collapse of the British construction giant Carrillion and the Irish group Sammon.

Pickets were placed outside new school buildings in Wexford town and Bray, Co Wicklow, yesterday by subcontractors who have not been paid for the work they carried out.

Around €14m is owed to small firms and individual tradespeople following the collapse of Carrillion and the subsequent demise of the Irish group.