Further motorway closures as fuel-cost talks to resume

Ireland’s police service introduced “exceptional” measures as fuel protests which have strangled the distribution of fuel around the country rumbled into a fifth consecutive day.

The Irish Government is to re-enter talks on Saturday aimed at defusing the protests which have involved blockades at key fuel distribution sites.

It comes after a crunch meeting on Friday failed to end with concrete proposals.

An Garda Siochana internally declared an “exceptional event”, allowing it to designate every member available for duty over the weekend.

Meanwhile, ministers said the Irish Defence Forces are “on standby” to help gardai remove blockades at critical infrastructure.

Blockades have resulted in full closures of parts of the M50 ring road around Dublin, as well as the M4, M6, M7, M8, M9 and M20.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which is responsible for motorways, said there is “significant disruption” to its network impacting counties Clare, Limerick, Tipperary, Laois, Offaly, Kildare, Galway, Cork, and Dublin.

It said it was working closely with gardai in managing traffic distribution.

The protests have caused disruption to some bus routes across Ireland and within the capital, where Luas Green Line tram services are also affected.

Participants say the Government needs to take urgent action on fuel prices or they will go out of business.

There were fears that around a third of Ireland’s 1,500 filling stations would have run dry by morning as protesters engaged in a blockade of the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, as well as key depots in Galway and Foynes, Co Limerick.

There have also been concerns about fuel shortages leading to curtailments on the provision of emergency services and the delivery of vital goods, while the National Emergency Coordination Group urged the public to only buy the fuel they need.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin warned that Ireland is on the “precipice of turning oil away from the country”, describing the situation as “unconscionable”, “illogical”, and “difficult to comprehend”.

The protests, which have also seen slow-moving convoys and outright stoppages on major motorways as well as a blockade on Dublin city’s main thoroughfare, began on Tuesday over the cost of fuel.

Participants include professional drivers, farmers and hauliers as well as taxi and bus operators.

Many official representative groups recognised by Government have expressed sympathy with the cause but have said they have not been involved in organising the protests.

Government ministers engaged with some of these groups on Friday but a spokesman for the protesters expressed “devastation” that they were excluded from the meeting.

A commitment from the coalition on Friday night to deliver a “substantial” package of measures on fuel costs was not enough to dissuade protesters from continuing blockades.

Christopher Duffy, a spokesman for the grouping in Dublin city centre, said the protest would continue until there was a “serious reduction in our costs”.

Talks between Government departments and representative bodies are set to continue at lunchtime on Saturday, with a view to finalising what deputy premier Simon Harris said would be “substantial and significant” measures for affected industries.