Thieves taking home heating oil from back gardens in Wexford

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

Thieves in Co Wexford have begun targeting properties in rural locations with one group focusing on stealing home heating oil in isolated areas.

Calling for an increased garda presence across the Rosslare Municipal District (RMD), Councillor Jim Codd said some thieves were becoming increasingly brazen in rural south Wexford.

“I’ve been contacted by someone whose oil, along with the tank, was stolen from their back garden. People are worried about this,” he said at the monthly meeting of the RMD. “Rural Ireland is not the close-knit place it once was, people don’t feel as safe as they used to, especially the elderly living on their own.

“If somebody took the time to lift out an oil tank, that’s a five-man job, and nobody saw them do it. We have great guards in Taghmon but they’re spending a lot of time in Rosslare and Wexford town, they’re getting called away all the time.”

Accepting that this is a major concern for people in the RMD, Cathaoirleach Frank Staples said he would arrange for the Superintendent to attend a forthcoming meeting to discuss garda resources during the winter months.