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Friday, 03 September 2010

Bonfire call-out bill nears £4m

Bonfire call-outs have cost the NIFRS £3.7m in the past 5 years

Dealing with bonfires has cost the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service £3.7m over the past five years, Stormont figures have revealed.

Fire crews had to attend a total of 1,352 incidents at bonfire sites between May and July in 2009, at a cost of £894,076.

Data for the 2010 parading season has not yet been disclosed.

The figures were revealed by the Assembly after a Freedom Of Information question from the SDLP's Thomas Burns.

The South Antrim MLA described the costs as "ridiculous". He said that the largest percentage of the money is being spent on dealing with anti-social behaviour in the build-up to the Twelfth.

"The costs are rising every year and this cannot be allowed to continue," Mr Burns said.

"This has nothing to do with the orange culture or tradition, it is simply anti-social behaviour of the worst kind and it is costing us a fortune to deal with it.

"Callouts to bonfires on the eleventh night are not the problem, it is the anti-social elements that are hanging around bonfire sites in the weeks and months leading up to the twelfth that are causing all the trouble.

"Ferrell youths sit around on old sofas drinking, lighting small fires, setting fire to rival bonfires and generally causing bother into the early hours of the morning.

"I call on the PSNI to do more to rid communities of this nuisance element which blights many neighbourhoods and puts an unnecessary strain on our emergency services for weeks every summer."

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37 Comments

At 23:05 on 06 September 2010, stevie wrote:

@ marc, it was slovenia not slovakia mate.

At 17:18 on 04 September 2010, Frosty wrote:

Tommy, I see nothing to congratulate ourselves about, quite the opposite in fact. However, I have no doubt plans are already well under way to get rid of dear old Norn Iron asap for, as history shows time and time again, England is always willing to offer a hand in friendship when it needs something, but its other hand is ever poised, ready to stab its friends and allies in the back at the first available opportunity. Perhaps the greatest shame then is upon the English for having sh** on their own doorstep in the first place, indeed all over the world, then leave it for everyone else to clean up their mess?

At 14:36 on 04 September 2010, big ernest wrote:

apparently 77% of british people do not want the pope visiting the mainland , furthermore it is costing the british tax payer £12 to £14 million pounds for his visit , so thats roughly 15 years of bonfires we can have to the tune of 1 papal visit , also more people want the bonfires here by percentage ratio than the pope to visit the mainland .

At 13:36 on 04 September 2010, Mark - Londonderry wrote:

Frosty, the English Tax Payer also pays for Scotland and Wales. We live in The UK. It's all in the title. We are in it togeather. My taxes go into the pot therefore I've a right to my say and nothing I've said is untrue. In this day and age off "been hurt in an accident, wasn't your fault" adds on TV We could call the English Tax Payers financial support compensation for the many wrongs inflicted on this Island by Englishmen who preach to us but have little understanding as to whats actually going on overhere. Englishmen should concentrate on Englands MANY problems and let us Northern Irish concentrate on ours. As bad as things have been we have come along way since GFA. And what about N Ireland beating Slovakia, GAWA!!

At 13:12 on 04 September 2010, Tommy atkins wrote:

Londonderry and frosty Wow, that is a lot of self congratulations coming from N Irelamnd residents. Remember that your little piece of ground has continued to show the world that you are incapable of self government N Ireland has become an embarrassment to the mother country. It is high time that you people were cut free in order to continue to destroy each other. You are already well on your way to attaining that goal

At 12:29 on 04 September 2010, Des Gusted wrote:

@Tommy Atkins... do you think they realise that in chosing that name that you are probably an ex or serving british soldier.... They're talking to you as though your a nationalist!!!!... Shocking!!!... Shameful!!!.... lol

At 10:37 on 04 September 2010, Ulster Loyalist wrote:

Tommy Atkins, last time I was across the 'old adage' was far from true. Where are you living? The Yorkshire Moors?! Your country is a joke and everyone is laughing at it. People like you seem more worried about a country you seem to hate than your own! No wonder it's in such a mess! Some areas in England make West Belfast safe! And that does really say a lot.