A MAN HAS been arrested and a garda has been injured after a demonstration at Columb Barracks in Mullingar, Co Westmeath.

Last month, the Department of Integration confirmed plans to use the Columb Barracks for temporary asylum seeker accommodation purposes.

The intention is that no person should have to stay at Columb Barracks for more than three weeks before being moved on to more suitable accommodation, the Department said.

The site is also intended to be used for a maximum of 12 months. 

A bus carrying asylum seekers entered the premises at around 11.30am yesterday morning. 

However, RTÉ reported that a group of protesters then stopped a second bus from entering the premises at around 1pm yesterday afternoon, and that protestors remained at the scene.

In a statement to The Journal, a garda spokesperson said a number of Garda units attended the scene of this demonstration yesterday evening and remained into the early hours of this morning.

At around 9pm last night, a number of protestors blocked an entrance to the premises.

Gardaí requested the crowd to disperse to allow for staff to enter the property.

A male Garda was assaulted during this time, but did not require medical treatment.

A man in his 20s was arrested for public order offences shortly after midnight.

He has since been released and a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A garda spokesperson said the crowd later dispersed from the scene after 1.30am.