A rural Garda station's latest seizures were behind jars last night after officers impounded several thousand pounds worth of olives.
They belonged to a market trader, Mr Toby Simmonds, who defied a council order to move his stall from Wolfe Tone Square in Bantry, Co Cork, to a newly designated trading area away from the centre.
Gardaí moved in yesterday afternoon after Mr Simmonds ignored warnings to pack up and leave.
"There were three gardaí, four council employees, three council vans and a flatbed lorry. The gardaí were very polite but it was a bit over the top," he said.
The olives seized included stock for today's market in Galway which Mr Simmonds has had to abandon. He said they would all have to be destroyed.
He claimed the order to move was invalid because Bantry Town Council did not extinguish the ancient right of traders to sell their produce in the square.
Bantry Town Council claimed it acted within the provisions of the casual trading legislation and said the market had to move to improve the town's traffic troubles.