Child, 4, forced to climb over gates of Council dump
Coalisland Civic Amenity site INTT3612-128JS
A DETAILED investigation is underway after a four year-old child had to be helped over metal gates at the entrance to a council owned refuse site when she and her brother - who is in his twenties - were apparently locked inside the premises in Coalisland.
The father of the young girl has demanded an apology from Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council following the incident, which occurred on Wednesday evening.
Police have confirmed they were called to the Civic Amenity Site on the Station Road at 9.20pm on Wednesday.
A PSNI spokesperson has told the Tyrone Times that, when officers arrived at the scene, contact was made with a representative from Dungannon Council.
“The keyholder arrived and the people involved were able to get out of the site by 9.30pm”, the spokesman continued.
The spokesperson confirmed that a car was on the premises at the time police arrived, adding that those involved were a child of four, a man in his twenties, and a man in his fifties.
Speaking to the Times, the father of the little girl explained she, her brother and a family friend had gone to the refuse site to dump pieces of wood and other items legally.
“My son, his sister and our neighbour were inside the dump at about 7.55pm when the guy on duty came over to them and said the gates close at 8pm, and that if they didn’t leave, the gates would be locked and they would have to climb over them to get out”, the clearly angry Coalisland man continued.
“The gates were locked and my son and our neighbour had to lift the child over the gates, which must be at least 14 or 15 foot high.
“I dread to think what could have happened if the child had taken a turn, or if any one of the three of them had a medical condition.
“It is just ridiculous what happened. When my son phoned me at about 8.12pm, and at first I thought he was joking when he told me.
“I drove down to the dump myself and saw for myself what had happened, so I went down to Stevenson’s Yard nearby, where a police car was sitting, and asked them to come up and see for themselves.”
The Coalisland father praised the police for their “swift actions” on attending the scene and dealing with the situation.
“The police came down right away”, he continued, “so I would definitely have to praise them for how well they did their job.
“I just want to highlight what happened here because it is unbelievable. I am not looking for money or anything out of all this, all I want is an apology. This was a big fright for my young daughter and her brother. The child was very upset, and I just don’t see how it could be allowed to happen.”
A Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council spokesperson told the Times: “The Council are aware that an incident occurred at Coalisland Civic Amenity Site on the evening of 29th August. A detailed investigation is currently underway.”
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Tuesday 21 May 2013
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