Travellers living at a halting site in Monkstown, Co Dublin, walked out of a meeting with staff of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in a continuing row which has seen electricity to their homes disconnected.
The electricity was cut off earlier this week because the sum of £1,000 remains unpaid to the ESB by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, according to Mr James McDonough, a spokesman for St Michael's Park residents.
But, according to Ms Breeta Allen, the council's administrative officer, the ESB had no option but to disconnect because the supply had been illegally connected to public street lighting.
"Our electrical inspector went up to the site this week and found most of it was actually live," said Ms Allen, who said previous attempts to meter the power supply to the site had resulted in the meters being interfered with.
"Unfortunately, in the past a hole was found to have been drilled in the meters and spikes put in to stop the wheel going around and the use of electricity being recorded.
"After that we instituted a card system where the tenants buy cards from the county council for £5 each and get £4 worth of electricity while £1 goes on rent. The county council would then get the bill from the ESB because it is with us the contract is made," she said.
But speaking after yesterday's meeting, Mr McDonough said the residents were asked for a guarantee that the wiring would not be interfered with again, an assurance they could not give as they had not interfered with the wiring in the first place.
Mr McDonough said the wires were arranged in such a way as they might have looked as if they were coming from the public lighting pole, but they were not. He accused council officials of jumping to conclusions.
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