Wheelie bins set on fire in Wexford estate as councillor warns ‘someone will get hurt there’ in build up to Halloween

By Simon Bourke, Wexford People

As Halloween approaches and the nights grow ever darker there are fears that anti-social behaviour among young people will once more increase in Wexford town.

Citing incidents in Ferndale, where wheelie bins were set on fire last week, Councillor Leonard Kelly has asked whether the local council has any remit to intervene on behalf of residents in the estate.

“There are large groups of youths in Ferndale lighting fires, taking wheelie bins from houses and burning them, is there any way we can intervene when anti-social behaviour reaches this level?” he asked at the monthly meeting of the Wexford Borough District.

“This type of behaviour will escalate as we approach Halloween, can we work with the Gardaí or youth services to mitigate this activity? Judging by the videos I’ve seen, there’s a high likelihood that someone will get hurt there.”

In response, district manager Anthony Bailey said that, while Wexford County Council (WCC) does engage with youth services in Ferndale, this is “primarily an issue for the guards”.

“The district does work with youth services in Ferndale, particularly around Halloween. We would invest significant resources there. This has worked well in the past. And we are open to working with them during what can be a challenging time of the year.”