Water charge activists say cut offs dropped

LAST year was the first for almost a decade in which there were no water disconnections, according to anti water charge campaigners. They warned yesterday that their efforts to boycott the charges would intensify.

On the eve of water disconnection cases today in Rathfarnham District Court, the Federation of Dublin Anti Water Charges Campaigns said the battle against the charges was an "epic fight". Cases are expected in the coming weeks in Swords, Balbriggan, Dublin city centre and Dun Laoghaire.

Campaigners said that in a new departure South Dublin County Council has summoned defaulters in the Templeogue area to court in civil process cases on February 5th - to recoup the money from defaulters rather than cut off their water.

Mr Gregor Kerr, the campaign secretary, claimed it was a sign that the "council's confidence is slowly diminishing". However, the chairman of South Dublin County Council, Mr John Fitzgerald, said he was "absolutely confident" that the council was winning the battle.

He pointed out that 25,000 South Dublin householders had paid their water charges while between 12,000 and 13,000 had not. "It's very unfortunate that for the sake of a very small amount - £70 - some people should be pressurised into running the risks of courts, publicity and costs."

He said the council used the civil bill procedures for normal debt collection. "We've relied much more on water disconnection but it remains an option," he said. The time, effort and money spent collecting water charges could be spent on roads, repairing cracked pavements and keeping jobs, he said.

Mr Joe Higgins, an independent councillor and the federation chairman, said ordinary people had not given up on their intention to have the charges abolished and that "the politicians will have to listen eventually". He said politicians had miscalculated and that the federation would be lobbying and demonstrating.

Mr Colm Breathnach, a Dun Laoghaire Rathdown independent councillor who resigned from Democratic Left because of the party's stance on water charges, said that dragging people through the courts had reactivated the campaign in Dun Laoghaire which "wouldn't have been the most fertile ground for popular campaigns".