A MAN used machinery including a digger to barricade himself and his sister into their family home in Arklow, Co Wicklow, yesterday.
Dermot Ivers and his sister Alison have barricaded themselves in their family home at Rory O’Connor Place, off Abbey Street, in an apparent bid to stop the house from being repossessed.
In anticipation of an order being served yesterday, Mr Ivers, who has a plant-hire business, placed plant equipment including a digger, a flat-bed lorry, two vans and a digger bucket in front of the premises in order to restrict access to it.
Speaking from a small first-storey window inside the house yesterday, Mr Ivers claimed his actions were an attempt to reopen negotiations with an unspecified lender which had attempted to serve a repossession order at the house yesterday.
Although he said he had no intention of using the digger to knock the house, neighbours and members of the media say he had threatened to demolish it over the course of the day. At one stage at least 100 people had gathered outside the property.
Mr Ivers said he and his sister had vowed to remain in the house until the matter has been resolved. He said they had plenty of food supplies. They had also suspended a bucket from a rope outside the window and said they would remain there until the lender agreed to reopen negotiations allowing him to buy the house.
Although Mr Ivers yesterday claimed his solicitor had been in touch to tell him the lender had given him a week’s grace, he said he would not leave the premises as he did not trust the lender.
Neighbours said Mr Ivers’s parents are not staying there. “You wouldn’t blame them wanting to stay in the family home,” one neighbour remarked yesterday.
Local gardaí said no complaints had been made in relation to the incident. Gardaí had been present at the house for a time from noon yesterday to prevent any potential public-order offences after a crowd of about 100 people gathered outside.