A refuse truck was stranded in a large Drogheda housing estate during a stand-off between residents and the corporation yesterday.
Refuse teams had begun work in the Moneymore estate at about 8 a.m. when they met members of Drogheda Residents Against Bin Charges. The collectors were emptying only wheeliebins with red stickers, which confirm payment of the recently-introduced £110 annual charge.
Mr Harry Phelan of the protest group said: "We came down in support of the Moneymore residents and marched in front of the truck and appealed for the residents to come out. There was a great response."
He said people walked at the back of the truck and threw bags of rubbish into it because, he claims, it is a public facility.
"We commend the binmen of Drogheda and we sympathise with the position they are being put in by Drogheda Corporation," Mr Phelan added.
He said that gardai were called to the estate because children were running around in the street.
The group claims bin charges are an additional tax and that the service is already funded by central government. Gardai were present throughout the day.
For most of the day the bin lorry was parked in the middle of the estate with the crew sitting in the cab. Last night it was moved to the nearby community centre and an overnight vigil was kept on it by residents.
It is expected that the protest will continue this morning, with residents trying to prevent the lorry from leaving without emptying all the bins.
The refuse collectors said they had safety fears because people were trying to throw bags in while they were emptying bins.
They said people had threatened to lie down on the road in front of the lorry if it tried to leave the estate, and that the situation was dangerous.
However, Mr Phelan said the group would have been happy to have seen the crew empty the rest of the bins with stickers on.
"Feelings are running high and it is an explosive situation. The town engineer said he would not allow the lorry to go (on) for safety reasons," said the mayor of Drogheda, Mr Frank Godfrey.
"I asked them to allow the lorry out and they say they will not. Drogheda is being held to ransom and this will get worse before it gets better."