by Andrew Carey
andrew
GROUPS of up to 100 school children are using social media sites to meet for underage drinking parties near housing estates off Limerick’s Ennis Road with local residents complaining of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage.
Residents in the Clareview area have reported groups of between 70 and 100 teenagers, boys and girls, congregating at shopping and fast food outlets on the Ennis Road.
“They meet on Friday or Saturday, it depends on which school and which class have arranged it. They have their designated nights,” explained one local.
“They meet with their drink, wherever they get it, and then roam through the roads as the night wears on. It’s all done on facebook”.
Last Saturday night, anti social behaviour hit the heights when a fight broke out between a number of the underage drinkers and a teenager not associated with the group.
The dispute spilled over to Clareview and as the young girl tried to escape, she was chased to a house where the group smashed windows and kicked at the door. Over €2,500 worth of damage was caused to the house.
A concerned onlooker told the Limerick Post; “This type of thing is happening for the last few weekends. They come and meet up for very public drinking parties and nobody seems to be able to stop this as each time there is some incident”.
After last Saturday night’s incident, a number of children were brought home under Garda escort but the residents feel that this is not enough.
“Sending out a paddywagon is fine and a few of them are brought home to their parents but that’s not enough because they still come back. It will be the same again this weekend,” said one local man.
Gardaí are monitoring the situation and Chief Superintendent Dave Sheahan has said that the imposition of on-the-spot fines under the new bylaws will be further enforced.
