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Arson Attack
Suspected arson attack at Louth halting site causes thousands worth of damage
The incident happened at around 8.30pm at the Woodland Park site.
A HALTING SITE was damaged in a suspected arson attack last night.
Units of the Dundalk fire service attended the scene at Woodland Park and extinguished the fire at around 8.30pm .
Damage was done to three separate bays which were being built to house a number of families in the area.
The site at Woodland Park in Dundalk had been the centre of controversy at the start of the year as 17 families were evicted from the site.
The halting site had official recognition a number of year ago. However, it had lost that status and those living there were deemed to be doing so illegally.
Gardaí assisted Louth County Council with the eviction, which led to heated confrontations between residents and officers.
It was then decided that the site would be refurbished and would cost over €675,000.
Local sources said damage was done to three bays and would likely cost over €10,000 to fix.
Worrying
Sinn Féín TD for Louth Gerry Adams said he was very worried about the vandalism.
He said: “I’ve been in touch with An Garda Síochána, and, if this is an arson attack, everyone has a duty to support the gardaí in their investigations, so that the perpetrator can be brought to justice.
I also welcome the commitment from Louth County Council that they will complete the refurbishment works.
“Travellers have rights and, like all sections of our society, we need to defend and promote those rights.”
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