HARD-pressed families are furious after two ‘country’ shops were banned from selling smoky coal – amid warnings that the fuel will be banned county-wide from next year.
Families in the Illistrin and Glenswilly areas are up in arms after their local shops were included in the Letterkenny town area ban brought in earlier this year.
Keys of Newmills and Kelly’s of Illistrin are now being forced to sell more expensive smokeless coal – costing €2 per bag more than regular coal.
Eugene Kelly from the popular Illistrin shop says customers are angry, because most of them are from the area outside the town or from the Termon and Kilmacrennan areas.
But he says he was told there would be “no point” in arguing about the ban – as it would be introduced throughout County Donegal next year.
“I was told the town boundary was 100 yards down the road,” said Mr Kelly today.
“It is totally ridiculous for people who know where we are and the customers we have. We do of course have many customers from Letterkenny but the majority are from the countryside and villages around here.
“Two council officials came along and warned us to stop selling regular coal and we had no choice but to withdraw it from sale.
“This is a blow for families around here. When I raised the issue I was told there was no point complaining because there would probably be a ban on smoky coal throughout Donegal from next year; that’s what Phil Hogan wants.”