The people of Clare are divided on the ongoing fuel protests, with some saying it’s up to the Government to bring them to an end while other claim they shouldn’t be affecting the “normal Joe Soap”.
As service stations across the county run out of fuel and congestion on major routes continues, the organisers of the nationwide demonstration say it’ll get “bigger and bigger every week” until the Government engages with them.
With the protests now in their fourth day, the group calling itself ‘The People Of Ireland Against Fuel Prices’ has said in a social media post that the action won’t end “until the Government listen to the people of Ireland”.
They’ve added that “the Government really need to engage with us to stop this” and that the protest is “only going to get bigger and bigger every week if it comes to it”.
Motorists are flocking to service stations across Clare meanwhile amid fears the global fuel crisis compounded by the protests at home will result in petrol and diesel shortages.
Fuel deliveries to garages have been unaffected so far, but co-owner of O’Sullivan Hansbury’s Mace in Ennis, Caroline Ryan, says they’re not ruling out rationing if needed.
The shop’s manager, Amber Ryan, says customers are afraid the crisis will deepen.
Convoys are back out on the roads in Clare, with congestion widespread on the M18 and N18.
The off-ramps and on-ramps northbound and southbound at Junction 11 Dromoland are entirely blocked, as are the off-ramp at Junction 13 Tulla Road northbound and the on-ramp at Junction 14 Barefield southbound.
These farmers in Clare say while the onus on the Government to address the fuel crisis, regular people trying to go about their daily business shouldn’t be discommoded.
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