Patsy McGlone 5th August 2009

MCGLONE WANTS STOP TO NIGHT HELICOPTER TRAINING

SDLP Mid-Ulster MLA Patsy McGlone said night-time disruption of families and farming activity along the Lough Neagh shore by low-flying helicopters must stop.

He said: “On Tuesday night the helicopters came low over Ardboe at about a quarter to midnight. This morning at nearly one o’clock they were back. Besides the disruption to families they frightened cattle which ran against barbed wire fences and ended up loose on the road. This has to end.

“People in this area put up with enough helicopter activity over the years and they have a right to expect that a decent night’s sleep should be part of their peace dividend. I have raised this issue before with both the government in Dublin and the Northern Ireland Office and it really is time we got some action. From time to time we get military spokesmen on radio or TV telling us how important this training is for operations in Afghanistan. People around Ardboe want nothing to do with that war, all they want is to be able to get to sleep at night. The British Army is going to have to find somewhere else to do its training.”

ENDS 05/08/09