Travellers have electricity cut off

More than 200 Travellers, who have been without electricity for almost two weeks and whose power will not be reconnected for three more, have appealed not to be penalised for the "bad behaviour of a few".

The Travellers at St Mary's halting site in Finglas, Dublin, have been unable to keep food fresh as their fridges don't work, to have showers, watch television, use washing machines or to light their site.

A spokesman for the ESB confirmed electricity had been disconnected. He said power had had to be turned off as the main supply box to St Mary's site and the adjoining St Christopher's site had been "tampered with".

"The power box had been interfered with and cables were damaged. Someone or some people had clearly been trying to get access to the power supply.

"The cables are lethal and need to be replaced, which will take a few weeks. Our first priority is safety and there is no way anything will be reconnected until we are sure our equipment can be secured properly."

One of those on the 30-bay site is Molly Mongan (65), who lives with her husband Tom and granddaughter. She has arthritis, badly swollen ankles and, speaking with a rasping wheeze, says she also has asthma. The fact that she cannot keep food such as milk overnight is particularly difficult as the nearest shop is two miles away.

"I cannot walk far and it's hard not having the shower. With my arthritis it hurts a lot to wash myself with a basin and cloth."

Winnie and Anthony Stokes, who have eight children aged between two and 15, say they will not be able to send their children back to school in three weeks.

"It's hard enough in school for them," says Mrs Stokes. "Kids do make remarks and I can't put them back to school dirty." Her five-year-old daughter is now sleeping in her parents' bed each night. "She's terrified of the dark. And she misses her cartoons."

Each family is continuing to pay €30 a week rent, which is meant to include their electricity, to their landlord, Fingal County Council.

When asked about the alleged tampering with the supply and the implication that Travellers were to blame, the residents insist it was no one from St Mary's. "Why would we? What would we have to gain? Our electricity is included in our rent," says Mr Stokes.

"The council and the ESB is tarring us with the one brush. If a settled person interfered with the power and that meant it had to be cut off to other settled people, the ESB and the council would be working round the clock to get it fixed. Because it's Travellers they let us wait. We're being treated like animals so we are." He says the council "should give us generators while we have to wait".

A council spokesman acknowledged the power cut was affecting families with children and the elderly. "We have to work with the ESB and the stops are being pulled out to get a solution."

However, he added that the council could not "just go out to the site and give out generators. There would be health and safety issue there".