Unruly students have damaged cars, spat at staff and removed brick walls at a third level apartment complex in Sligo, it emerged today.
The property management company Albanne has told parents of students in the Yeats Village at the Institute of Technology in Sligo that it had been its worst experience in 14 years.
"If we do not call a halt and try to stop this, we will not have a village left by year's end," said managing director Mr Albert Dawson.
In a strongly-worded letter to parents, he cited examples of the behaviour of some 'abusive and uncooperative' students in the village.
Staff were spat at and told to 'f*** off and leave us alone', he said. Cars were driven up onto lawns and revved up to spin the wheels, destroying the buildings with mud, windows were smashed, while a freshly built redbrick wall was removed overnight, Mr Dawson said.
The Yeats Village was opened four years ago and houses 330 students in a mixture of houses and apartments. It is located on the Enniskillen Road beside IT Sligo.
The letter said a serious drink culture was to blame for many of the problems.
"Many nights, the village has been more active at four in the morning than four in the evening."
Students in the complex were handed two separate warnings about anti-social behaviour before the letter was sent.
Mr Dawson said only a small minority were causing problems. "This is the Rolls Royce of student accommodation and 99 per cent of my students are fantastic. It's just there's a half a dozen bad apples in every barrel," he said.