A town council in Co Tipperary is using private investigators to help reduce the amount of money it is losing in defending legal cases brought against it.
Recently, Nenagh Town Council won a court case by using video evidence filmed by a Dublin-based private investigation firm. This has led to private firms continuing to investigate other cases and claims which have been lodged against the council.
"If we have a case against us, we will use any method available to win our case in court," said Nenagh's town clerk, Ms Jacqueline McGrath.
"The compensation culture is costing taxpayers a lot of money and we will save the taxpayer and ratepayers of Nenagh money by using these type of tactics," she said .
The council refused to elaborate on the cost of hiring the private investigation firm. "The amount spent on the investigation was less than the amount it would have cost if we lost the case," Ms McGrath said.
Public liability claims against the council are paid from the local authority's insurance policies resulting in larger insurance premiums being paid by the council and in turn more money being paid out by taxpayers.