Bomb leads to Irish hold-ups
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Karen Miles • Operators look set to face increased delays in Ireland following the bomb blast in Omagh.
Irish road hauliers were last week witnessing road checks on the routes into Dublin and Irish police (Garda) are working out how to enhance security along the country's border with Northern Ireland.
The anti-terrorist measures were among many announced last week by Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern in response to the Omagh outrage.
A Garda spokesman says delays are bound to increase because of the crackdown but the extent will become clearer in the next few days. Irish Road Haulage Association spokesman Jimmy Quinn says the Dublin checkpoints will do little to catch terrorists although they add a half hour delay to the journey to the capital city.
He says: "This is a byproduct of a very unfortunate incident which impacts on us all. We have to grin and bear it." He hopes Northern Ireland is going through the "closing chapter of violence ... so rendering the increased measures irrelevant."
Freight Transport Association Northern Ireland representative Brian Bloomfield says he does not expect the measures to produce anything that arnotmts to "hassle".