Fingal County Council has reversed its stance on cutting water supplies from householders who refuse to pay water charges. Mr James Macken SC, counsel for the local authority, told Judge Pat McCartan in Dublin Circuit Court yesterday that the council was abandoning all cases where it had sought disconnections. He asked that all the cases be struck out.
Mr Martin Giblin SC and Mr Terry O'Sullivan, counsel for a number of householders, consented to the withdrawal of the applications "with no further court order".
After the brief hearing, however, a spokesman for the council said it would be pursuing defaulting householders through the small debts courts.
South Dublin Co Council has said it intends to proceed with seeking disconnections from householders who refused to pay water charges, despite yesterday's U-turn on the issue by Fingal Co Council.
"Their decision will have no bearing on our approach," a spokesman for South Dublin County Council, said. "Our policy is that we will continue pursuing arrears through the civil courts."
He added that the council's approach had been "very successful" and that many defaulting householders had agreed to pay the charges instead of going to court.