A Ballinasloe man has been charged by the PSNI in relation to the theft of €40,000 worth of steel crash barriers from a N6 construction site.
The 22-year-old from Ballinastack, Ballinasloe recently used a tractor and trailer to bring the stolen goods from the construction site to Fermanagh where it is thought he planned on selling them to a scrapyard in Enniskillen. According to reports the man left Ballinasloe on a John Deere at 4am to bring the 12 tonne load to Enniskillen, some 100 miles away.
The trailer load was stopped by police just five miles from a scrapyard in the town after some of the steel fell off his trailer.
When police officers arrived on the scene the man was loading the steel back on the trailer. They became suspicious at the new steel and arrested the Ballinasloe resident for handling stolen goods. He has been released on bail of €1,000, and is due to appear before Enniskillen Magistrates Court on February 15.
Inspector Roy Robinson of the PSNI said it was an extraordinary journey to take by tractor.
