Council staff attacked rounding up horses

A LOCAL authority worker in Co Dublin had his arm broken and another was kept in hospital overnight after being attacked while attempting to round up stray horses yesterday morning.

The two men in their 30s were set upon by a gang near Luas extension works at Citywest, south Dublin.

One victim had a plate inserted into his arm and has to return to hospital this morning for a further operation. The second man was hit in the body with a rock and was detained at Tallaght hospital.

They were hit by stones and by loose fencing posts by a group of about seven men at 10.30am.

The council workers had been called by the Garda to remove stray horses from a local side road because they were a traffic hazard. However, they were in the process of withdrawing from the scene because Garda back-up had been diverted elsewhere.

South Dublin County Council senior parks superintendent Brian Sheehan said the attack was the “most serious incident” he had seen in the years working on the council.

Council staff are frequently called in by the Garda to deal with stray horses.

“Our first priority is for the staff and for their health. We are very concerned from the county manager down that our staff had to receive hospital attention as a result of this incident,” Mr Sheehan said.

“We are conducting our own investigations and co-operating with gardaí.”

One eyewitness, who did not wish to be named, described it as a “very vicious attack”.

“At one stage we thought somebody was going to get killed. They were firing rocks and fencing posts,” he said.

Gardaí are reviewing CCTV footage of the incident and no arrests have been made to date.

A statement said: “Gardaí at Rathcoole are investigating a number of assaults on Dublin City Council workers that occurred this morning near the Luas works at Citywest.

“Two workers were taken to Tallaght hospital with minor injuries. There were no arrests, the matter is under continuing investigation.”