Gang of young thugs attack firefighters do you no who thay are?

Children as young as twelve took part in the attack which took place after Dundalk Fire and Rescue was called to a fire on waste ground near Brickfield Close on the Castletown Road at 10pm.

As the fire engine approached the area, a gang of youths on the railway bridge began throwing stones down on it.

The fire crew drove to safety down the road and called for garda assistance.

The youths continued to pelt the vehicle with stones but ran away before the Gardaí arrived.

The stones, which they had taken from the railway track, caused a number of dents in the fire appliance but fortunately no one was injured.

Once the youths had left the area, the fire fighters tackled to the fire which had been caused when domestic rubbish and an old sofa was set alight on waste ground.

Following the incident Sinn Féin Dundalk Town Councillor, Harry Todd, called for increased garda patrols and visibility in the Castletown area particularly in the vicinity of the Railway Bridge.

Cllr Todd said: ?the fire, I believe, was started deliberately so this attack appears to have been planned. This is unacceptable, it is dangerous and a waste of much needed resources. I would also like to warn

motorists and pedestrians to be vigilant, especially at night, in the vicinity of the bridge as there have been reports of missiles being thrown by youths from the bridge. The Gardaí have a duty to the public to stamp out this criminal behaviour. I call for an increase in the number of Gardaí employed full-time in community policing and adequate resources be made available for the enforcement and prosecution of public order offences.

He also called on that parents and guardians to ?dissuade young people from participating in this or any other form of anti-social behaviour?.