Gardaí arrive as residents protest against the installation of Irish Water meters in Ferrybank on Monday
Gardaí in Waterford are investigating the theft of equipment for installing water meters from a housing estate in Ferrybank last night. It is believed 250 plastic barriers, cones and signs were taken from Fíodh Mór sometime between 7pm and 7.30pm. A number of residents in the estate blocked Irish Water staff from installing water meters yesterday and people living in the nearby Abbey Park housing estate also blocked Irish water staff earlier in the week.
Irish Water equipment stolen in Waterford (RTÉ)
Previously: Faucet Circus
UPDATE:
Shane Gavin writes:
This video popped up on Facebook earlier, related to the Ferrybank water meters thing in Waterford. It’s of Ferrybank residents blocking the installation of meters, what’s worrying is the insistence of the meter chap in charge to just drive through the people with the digger…
Video via Tony Penkert
anyone there for plastic cones, cones and barriers there going cheap now, five for a tenner..
Hopefully the equipment will show up.. buried in a pit of slurry somewhere.
With the 100 odd million gone into the set up of this quango, they should be able to cover this type of contingency.
Cue the government hacks.. ‘safeguard a precious natural resource’.. bla bla bla.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/gene-kerrigan/the-government-is-ppsing-all-over-us-30602998.html
The professional classes are making a killing on this one, with everyone on premium rates. So far, Irish Water has allocated €86m for consultants and lawyers. Just setting up the company and its “new funding model” is budgeted at €150m. On top of which there’s a €30m “contingency fund” – which is technical language for “the way these people charge, we know the €150m won’t be enough”.
The Garda cars arrive in twos and threes, there’s a stance in fuming Ferrybank tonight.
And there’s the half-baked code of mysteries, the hole-and corner mystic Freeman shite.
Half past eight and there is not a cone
Upon a mile of road, no shadow thrown
That might turn out Irish Water Van, not
A res’dent taping workmen on a phone.
I have what every houseowner hates in spite
Of all the solemn talk of good filtration.
Gobshites.
Wether you agree with their protest or not, it’s absurd that a situation like this descends/escelates into driving a digger very slowly at a house wife while a red faced gardai looks on getting ever more sweaty.. it was obvious there would be protests and no clear strategy or recourse have been taken to deal with it.. just drive the digger at them, slowly mind you.. In this, and other cases, Irish Water and The Gardai look like dopes. Sorry lads!
+1
Another elaborate poor tax forced through. Didn’t take long for FG to tun into FF.
the digger should have driven straight over them
Fair play thats some quality peaceful protesting going on there.
Niall Boylan was annoying talking about this earlier on 4fm.
One woman hung up on him. Ha.
1:39 definitely Kermit the frog haha