Bin-charge protests set to continue as residents keep up vigil

Thousands of householders face further disruption in Dublin today as a stand-off between Fingal County Council and anti-bin charge protesters continues. Refuse collections were cancelled on eight of 10 routes in Blanchardstown and Portmarnock yesterday.

Protesters blockaded lorries which had been ordered by the local authority not to collect waste from homes which had not paid their bin charges.

Two of the lorries were abandoned by the council in west Dublin last night, as the demonstrations threatened to continue.

Members of the Anti-Bin Tax Campaign said they had a rota to ensure a presence at each site and guarantee the vehicles would not be moved during the night.

The council's director of services, Mr Gilbert Power, described the protesters as "a minority of people causing maximum disruption".

Accusing them of "blackmail and intimidation", he said they ran the risk of being arrested following a day in which many of their names were taken by gardaí.

"This is the first day and it's important not to inflame the situation," said Mr Power. "But if this continues, I will be looking for gardaí to enforce the law."

The protesters accuse the local authority of engaging in "double-taxation", and believe possible new water and household rates could leave families with an annual taxation bill for local services of €1,000.

Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins said the protests had been precipitated by the council's "declaration of war" in deciding not to empty unpaid-for bins.

"This is a no-win situation for the council," he said. "They chose today because they thought it was a weak point for the campaign because of the areas they were going into. They know it can only get worse because they are now moving into routes where they know there is even stronger opposition."

Some residents who had paid their charges complained about the protests, noting that collections they had paid for were not now taking place.

Mr Power added there was a "degree of intimidation" to the protests, with law-abiding residents being pressurised not to display pre-purchased collection tags. In addition, he said, "there are a number of incidents where tags have been removed".

The protesters denied the accusations, however, with Mr Higgins describing the demonstrations as "peaceful civil disobedience".

Fingal is the first local authority to employ non-collection powers which came into force last Monday under new legislation. Other Dublin local authorities have signalled their intention to follow suit, although they said they had not yet decided on a start date.