Intimidation and dumping spark election bid

BALLYVOLANE resident Noreen Murphy is so concerned by the intimidation and dumping surrounding the Ellis’s Yard site that she has decided to run in the local elections to bring further attention to the issue.

Ms Murphy was the last person to enter the fray for the May 24 local elections, after registering as a candidate on Saturday, just before the deadline.

Top of her list of priorities is getting the Defence Forces involved in securing Ellis’s Yard at Spring Lane.

“The Army needs to come in to stop the dumping. They have a constitutional obligation, where civil power has failed, to help.”

Ms Murphy said she will be focusing on public safety and environmental issues, both of which are a problem regarding Ellis’s Yard.

“Five tonnes of asbestos was removed from Ellis’s Yard after the last clean-up by the City Council. That is toxic smoke and it is a threat to people’s health.

“There are people under siege in their own homes. There is anti-social behaviour, horses running wild around the place, and then all the stuff that is going on at Ellis’s Yard. It is just ridiculous.

“People are genuinely afraid and they have a right to be afraid,” she said.

Ms Murphy will also be campaigning for much-needed resources in Ballyvolane, such as a youth cafe and a community centre.

“There are no youth facilities in Ballyvolane — it is staggering that an area of this size is this neglected,” she said.

She said she asked her family to give her the next two weeks to campaign door-to-door for the local elections.

“I’m going to have a serious cut off it,” Ms Murphy said.