€50,000 damage caused to two Council houses

Vandals who broke into two local authority houses – one of them newly renovated – completely stripped them of electrical goods, copper pipes, doors and radiators, causing an estimated €50,000 damage in the process.

The houses – in the village of Ballygar – were unoccupied at the time; one of them had recently been renovated by the housing section of Galway County Council and was set for occupancy.

That recently renovated chalet at Cloonlyon Crescent had just had a new fully fitted kitchen installed – with a new hob and oven along with bedroom furniture including wardrobes.

Some of the internal damage caused to the house.

It is understood that access to this property was gained by smashing a window and it is believed that a number of individuals. It is estimated that up to €30,000 worth of damage was caused.

Galway County Council staff visited the property in Ballygar after being informed of the Gardaí of the break-in and the damage caused.

They found that the back bedroom window had been smashed and then completely removed from the frame. Gardaí believe that this was the most likely means of access by those responsible.

Council staff found that all of the internal doors of the house had been removed while all of the radiators were stripped from the walls.

A number of electrical appliances like a fridge and dishwasher were also taken during the raid.

The plumbing system in the house had been completely destroyed in that the copper pipes were cut and some of these had been removed while the copper cylinder had also been taken as part of the break-in.

Not along were the pipes cut downstairs but they were also cut in the attic section of the house. A considerable amount of piping was taken in the incident.

Also holes were discovered in the plaster board walls and some of them were damaged to such an extent that the holes were straight through to the external walls.

The other house in the village had been occupied but was recently vacated. A break-in occurred at this dwelling and substantial damage was also caused – this believed to be in excess of €20,000.

Again, there was extensive damage caused to doors and radiators inside the dwelling and it will be some considerable time before the cash-strapped Council will be in a position to carry out renovations for them to be leased to clients on the housing waiting list.

In a statement to the Connacht Tribune, Galway County Council stated: “There was substantial damage to two properties. The matter has been reported to the Gardaí, is under investigation and we are precluded from further comment at this time.”

Gardaí investigating the criminal damage that was caused at both houses are following a number of lines of inquiry. A spokesperson said that investigations were continuing and it was hoped to make a number of arrests in the very near future.