`Sinister' attack on Clare council officials' cars

Gardai in Ennis are investigating what they have described as two "very sinister" attacks on cars owned by Clare County Council officials, Mr Willie Moloney, and another official at their homes early yesterday. A group of local residents opposed to a halting site for travellers has dissociated itself from the action and says it deplores what has happened.

The tyres of cars belonging to Mr Moloney and his wife and Mr Phil Coll and his wife were slashed. Mr Coll is responsible for supervising the work on a temporary halting site for 13 Traveller families in the Gort Road area of Ennis. The two officials live about a mile from each other.

Gardai are investigating any possible connection with a dispute about the council's move last week to implement emergency measures to erect the halting site. Last Friday, gardai had to intervene when local residents prevented council officials from proceeding with site-clearance work.

Both workers and gardai withdrew yesterday morning after the residents obtained a High Court injunction halting the work.

The site is being prepared by the council in response to a large number of Traveller families parking illegally throughout Ennis. A Traveller family remained on car spaces normally reserved for Mr Moloney and other senior council officials yesterday. Work began again on Thursday, when workers were joined at the council's request by gardai. Also yesterday, the approach road to the site was found strewn with hundreds of nails. Local residents removed them.

A spokesman for the Gort Road Halting Site Action Group, Mr Patsy Hogan, said yesterday: "We outrightly condemn these acts. It is a slur on the community and we are bitterly disappointed and disgusted with the act of one hothead."

Mr Hogan said the residents would help gardai if requested. "I can't begin to imagine what kind of criminally minded person would carry out spiteful vandalism. It has to be recognised that the manager has a very difficult job to do."

He said he had no idea who would carry out either the attacks on the council officials' cars or place the nails across the approach road to the site. "It has absolutely nothing to do with our opposition to the council's plan."

He said the group had circulated leaflets throughout the area on Thursday instructing residents not to interfere with the work of the council.

The proposed emergency temporary site could be in operation for up to three years as construction on the seven proposed permanent sites for Travellers in the Ennis area announced recently is not expected to be completed before May 2003.