WITH the sun beating down, many of the well-heeled took off for sunnier climes this week but some opted for the short drive down to Brittas Bay and the Ballinacarrig mobile home park, where a legal dispute between owner Michael McDaniel Stone and the 176 residents is also heating up.

Yesterday, each and every one of them was served with legal notice of the case in a letter sent by solicitor Ivor Fitzpatrick, stating that Mr Stone is now seeking ownership as well as possession, costs and damages.

The High Court’s chancery division is due to hold a two-day hearing next month into a row over non-payment of rent combined with the residents’ failure to provide a bank guarantee for the rent, which is a condition of their lease agreements.

The residents pay between €9,000 and €10,000 a year in rent and service charges but say they are having difficulties paying for their luxury holiday homes.

Mr McDaniel Stone has offered a number of amended terms but so far there’s been no agreement and residents are still using the complex’s tennis courts, beach and golf course.

With the massive legal costs that a hearing would involve, it would not be a surprise to see a settlement on the steps of the court.