Gardaí are appealing for witnesses following the destruction of two excavators in a quarry in Bantry last Tuesday afternoon.
An Garda Siochana confirmed that the two excavators were extensively damaged by fire at approximately 2pm at a quarry located in the townland of Glandart on the Castledonovan to Bantry road.
Last February, The Southern Star reported that an excavator at Kilcoe was maliciously damaged with every conceivable part of the machine broken in an act of criminal damage.
That excavator had been parked about 500 yards off the road on rough terrain, and was believed to have been damaged in the early hours of the morning of Saturday February 8th.
Back then, a source said the extent of the damage showed real determination on the part of the perpetrators because every single pane of glass was broken, bits inside the cabin were broken beyond repair, even the engine cover was bent outwards.
At the time, the source said it was the sixth or seventh case of criminal damage to agricultural machinery over the previous 12-month period.
There is, however, no suggestion at this stage to suggest these incidents are connected.
Gardaí have described the latest incident as ‘criminal damage by fire’ and they have issued an appeal for any persons who may have information about the incident to come forward, especially any road users that were travelling on the Castledonovan to Bantry Road between 1pm and 2.30 pm on Tuesday.
