Judge revises water charge protest exclusion zone order

A High Court judge has revised an exclusion order against water charges protesters to state it does not apply to residents going into or leaving their own homes.

On Wednesday, the court granted water meter installer, GMC Sierra, injunctions preventing members of the public going within 20 metres of a public road or footpath where the company’s workers are installing water meters.

GMC Sierra had claimed its workers were being harassed and threatened by anti-water charge protesters.

Today, Mr Justice Paul Gilligan called back lawyers for the company and for a number of named individuals against whom the injunction was granted.

The judge said he wanted to suggest amending his order to read that the 20 metre exclusion zone from the workstations of the installers should not apply to “residents of the road who are accessing or leaving their own houses”.

The amendment would make the order more clear, he said. There was no objection from lawyers from any of the parties.