Clondalkin Building Site Shut By 'The Wire' Style Intimidation
Work on building 63 new homes in Clondalkin has stopped because of ongoing intimidation and anti-social behaviour.
Construction workers at the site in St Cuthbert's Park, Bawnogue, say they have been subjected to threats, with deliberate arson and vandalism of their cars.
Locals have been reporting issues including open drug dealing, intimidation and cars being stolen.
The activity has been likened to scenes shown in the gritty drug drama series The Wire.
Funding for CCTV to monitor the area was secured almost two years ago, but it has still not been installed.
The Mayor of South Dublin, Mark Ward, has called for a task force to be set up to deal with the issues.
He said that construction workers' cars have been vandalised, their tools have been stolen and there has been reports of deliberate arson on the building site.
"It’s a sad day when someone can’t go about their work without feeling frightened in Clondalkin", he said.
He admitted that he feels "sick to my stomach that this behaviour could jeopardise people on our waiting list getting much needed homes".
The Mayor of South Dublin has called for a high level task-force set up for the area to meet sooner than first planned, and for Gardai to help make sure building works can resume.