Donegal water sparks row in Ballymena town council

A row has broken out in the North over Ballymena town council's decision to supply councillors with water from Co Donegal.

DUP councillor, Sam Gaston, says northern councils should not be importing goods from across the border.

The councillor said he was shocked when he reached out for mineral water at a meeting and noticed the bottle came from Co Donegal, in what he called a "neighbouring country".

Expressing his disgust, he said there was a perfectly good local soft-drinks company and is demanding an explanation from the council.

This is the latest controversy involving Ballymena council which once opposed giving actor Liam Neeson the freedom of the city because he had been quoting saying that, as a Catholic, he had felt a second-class citizen growing up in the town.

Last week, a councillor opposed funding a local GAA club's request for a new lawnmower.

The Co Antrim town of Ballymena is sometimes called the buckle on the North's Bible belt in Ian Paisley's constituency.