Ennis 'at no loss' after meters theft

Ennis Town Council has claimed that the theft of €300,000 from parking meters in the Co Clare town in three years has left it at no financial loss.

Chris Harford, a former Ennis Town Council employee, is 14 months into a three-year jail term after pleading guilty in March last year to stealing the coins from the parking meters.

The focus of the former traffic warden's crime were parking meters located in Ennis's Dunnes Stores car-park where the council had a contract to collect money from the meters and give it to the retail giant.

Judge Carroll Moran said that it was extraordinary how Harford could steal such a huge sum undetected.

The town council has not recovered any of the money.

In a statement yesterday, the council said discussions between it and Dunnes Stores had "concluded to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.

"In particular it has to be recorded that Dunnes Stores met the situation in a very fair manner in recognition of the fact that they are one of the major retailers in the town.

"Ennis Town Council has also conducted negotiations with the council's insurers in relation to this matter . . . as a result of these negotiations there has been no impact on the finances of the council in relation to the monies which were stolen."

Ennis council also said that revised security measures had been put in place to prevent a repeat of the crime.

A spokeswoman for Dunnes Stores yesterday declined to comment on the matter.