ABOUT €5,000 worth of lobster pots were destroyed in a fire that threatened the Coastguard Station at Courtown Harbour in the early hours of last Wednesday morning.

The alarm was raised about 3 o’clock in the morning and units of Gorey Fire Brigade rushed to the scene which is a storage area for lobster pots.

About 150 lobster pots belonging to local fisherman, Michael Brennan, were completely destroyed.

They were stored beside the Coastguard Station which houses vital communications equipment for the Courtown-Arklow service.

The station was not damaged, but an electricity pole burned down and as a consequence the station was without power for two days.

The pagers used by the coastguard were put out of action once the reserve battery power went down, however, alternative means of communication were established so there was no risk in the event of a marine emergency.

It is unknown how the fire started, although a local source pointed out that the area was extremely dry at the time and could have been caused by a discarded cigarette butt.

Report in this week’s edition of THE GOREY ECHO.