Tenants go to court demanding lift repair

Further attempts are to be made to get British companies to repair the Ballymun tower lifts

Further attempts are to be made to get British companies to repair the Ballymun tower lifts. Stranded residents of the flats brought a motion in the High Court yesterday asking it to commit Dublin's Lord Mayor and City Councillors to prison for contempt of court.

The residents brought the motion before Mr Justice Geoghegan on the grounds that Dublin Corporation had failed to comply with a Supreme Court order directing it "to do everything in its power" to put more than 50 broken lifts back in service.

Mr Frank Callanan, counsel for the corporation, told the court that after the Supreme Court order his client had contacted 15 lift maintenance companies in the UK but had been unable to acquire the services of any for the purpose of lifts repair.

Mr Edward Walsh SC, counsel for nine Ballymun residents, told the court his solicitors, Lavelle Coleman, had made contact with two British lift companies which were prepared to carry out the work during the lifts maintenance strike here.

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He told Mr Justice Geoghegan that Dublin Corporation was making attempts to obtain the services of those two companies and if it succeeded in doing so he would be seeking to withdraw the motion for contempt and committal of the lord mayor and councillors.

The matter was adjourned until Thursday to allow Dublin Corporation conduct further negotiations with the lifts companies concerned. The corporation claimed it had been doing everything in its power to obtain the services of outside companies since the making of the Supreme Court order on August 17th.