Councillor says tyre slashings not unique to estate on Limerick’s outskirts

CLARE county councillor Pascal Fitzgerald, who represents the Westbury estate, has stressed tyre slashings are not unique to his area.

Residents in the estate have been left angered at a spate of vandalism in the area.

And they want Clare County Council to invest more money in their estate, which is one of the largest in Limerick with more than 900 homes.

One resident - who wished to remain nameless for fear of reprisals - invested €500 of his own money installing closed circuit television and lighting in a bid to catch the culprits.

But although he saw the vandals in action, it was impossible to identify them due to the lack of adequate street lighting, he said.

Labour councillor Fitzgerald said that while he does not condone the “sheer vandalism” in the estate, similar incidents can be found elsewhere.

“Some time ago a number of people from the Shannon area for example met me in the town and told me about this particular problem” he said, “but it is very difficult to catch the culprits red-handed in the act of committing an offence. “It should be pointed out that a new tyre can cost up to €100 and over which is an expense families cannot afford today.”

Cllr Fitzgerald made an appeal to parents generally to warn their children against such activity, adding: “It is a fact that people from outside areas are known to be carrying on this tyre-slashing activity”.

Cllr Fitzgerald says he will stand in the Shannon electoral area.