Council to re-enter proceedings over Tipperary halting site

The High Court has re-entered proceedings that could see a couple jailed over their alleged failure to vacate the vicinity of an unofficial halting site in Co Tipperary.

In July the Court granted Tipperary County Council an injunction against several persons whose presence at Cabragh Bridge, Cabragh, Thurles, the local authority alleged constituted a public nuisance.

The matter has been before the court on several occasions since.

The council claims that most of the persons at the site had moved on in compliance with the orders.

Last month it claimed that two couples and their families had remained in the vicinity of the site, in contempt of the court’s orders.

The matter returned before the court on Tuesday when barrister David Humphries Bl for Tipperary Co Council told Mr Justice Michael Twomey that while one of the caravans has since moved on, another one occupied by Elizabeth and William McCarthy remains.

In what was a short ex-parte hearing counsel said the couple’s caravan is now at the side of the road a short distance from the halting site and is in a more dangerous location than it had been before.

It had been hoped that the council and the couple could reach an agreement, but that had not occurred, Mr Humphries said.

Arising out of their failure to comply with the injunction the Council was granted permission by the Judge to re-enter its motion seeking the attachment and committal to prison of the couple.

The judge made the motion returnable before the court in a week’s time.

Mrs McCarthy previously told the court that she and her family had nowhere else to go, and that offers of alternative accommodation made by the council to her were not suitable.

The injunctions required the defendants to remove their mobile homes, vehicles and caravans from Cabragh Bridge, and not cause any obstruction to the roadway.

The defendants are also required to vacate and cease residing on or anywhere in the vicinity of Cabragh Bridge, which the local authority said is an inappropriate and unsuitable place to reside.

The dispute centres around Tipperary Council’s plans to accommodate Travellers, who had resided on the bridge for 30 years, in a €2m six-unit group housing scheme, which is now ready for occupation.

The council said the proceedings were brought against several members of the McCarthy family who had moved to the site in recent years, but not among the persons who were being accommodated in the new scheme.

The council said it had offered the defendants help in securing alternative accommodation.

However, talks between the parties had failed to resolve the situation.