Mayo County Council has been accused of "aggressively blocking" the provision of emergency services for Travellers in the county.
The accusation was made by Mayo Travellers Support Group in light of the failure of five families to obtain an injunction in the High Court directing the council to provide them with water, electricity and toilets.
The five families, who between them have 17 children, are living on a road adjacent to the Moneen Industrial Estate in Castlebar.
Some of the families have been parked there for five years and have been on the council's housing list for over a decade.
"The fact that the council has gone to so much trouble and expense and fought this case tooth and nail draws into serious question their sincerity in providing emergency services at all," said support group spokesman Mr Gearóid Ó Riain.
Mr Ó Riain said it was "unconscionable to allow them continue to live in such appalling circumstances". He added that he did not know how "these officials look their own children in the eyes having taken such a position".
According to the solicitor for the Travellers, Mr Kevin Brophy, the failure of the interlocutory application has forced his legal team to rush through cases.
Mr Brophy is currently acting on behalf of 50 Traveller families, living on roadsides in counties Mayo and Clare, who have taken proceedings against four local authorities in the High Court regarding their fundamental constitutional rights.
Mr Brophy said: "We would normally like to get discovery of all documents. But this can take up to six months and we cannot risk that one of these children could be killed on the side of the road while these cases are pending".
He added that "it seemed absurd" for the local authorities to defend these cases which will cost them hundreds of thousands of euro rather than immediately providing such basic services as Portaloos and taps.