Twenty-five anti-waste-charge protesters who are alleged to have blockaded Dublin City Council bin lorries over the past three days now face the prospect of imprisonment for contempt of court.
Ms Carol O'Farrell, counsel for the local authority, was yesterday granted leave to serve the protesters with short notice of the council's intent to seek their attachment and committal in the High Court next Wednesday.
She told the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Finnegan, that 22 of the protesters were from the Finglas area.
Mr Tom Loftus, head of the council's waste management division, told the court that the anti-bin-tax campaign had been issuing leaflets.
These stated that so far blockades had been of limited duration but that in the next few weeks the campaign would be escalated and that all bin collections would be halted.
He said that since the order of Mr Justice O'Donovan on September 24th the council was continuing to experience considerable disturbance, disruption and obstruction of its waste collection service from protesters.
He said the protesters were conducting themselves in a manner calculated to impede, disrupt and obstruct waste collection services, and their conduct was intended to thwart the September 24th court order.
The 25 facing attachment and committal to prison for contempt of court are are Dermot Connolly, Colm Breathnach, Margaret Burnet, Noreen Bradley, Madeline Casey, Lisa Carroll, Kay Conlon, Kay Connolly, John Cronan, Anna Doran, Jack Grennan, Etna Grogan, Bernie Hughes, Noel Kelly, Maureen Maher, Declan Mahon, Hanna Moore, Ria McDonald, Noeleen O'Connell, John O'Neill, Thomas O'Sullivan, Geraldine Scott, Christy St Ledger, Jean Walsh and Patricia Walsh.