10 April 1997 Edition
Widespread disruption in England
THE IRA CAUSED WIDESPREAD DISRUPTION and economic damage estimated at between £70 and £80 million to the British state when last Thursday 3 April its Volunteers planted two bombs on the busiest stretches of Britain's motorway network closing sections of the M1, M5 and M6 motorways in the British midlands.
Then, in a follow-up, the IRA caused the postponement of the British Grand National on Saturday, inflicting serious damage to British prestige as a worldwide audience watched the evacuation of Aintree in Liverpool. On Monday John Major abandoned his soapbox and appeared at the rescheduled race.
The IRA statement read in full: ``The IRA were responsible for the disruption of the Grand National in England on Saturday. We remind John Major that had he given as much importance to the negotiation of an end to the conflict in Ireland over the past few years as he attaches to the disruption of a single sporting event, a lasting peace settlement would have been closer and conflict and disruption a thing of the past''.
Meanwhile claiming responsibility for the motorway attacks the IRA said, ``Volunteers of Oglaigh na hEireann planted two bombs on the M6 in the English midlands on Thursday 3 April''. Signed P O'Neill, Irish Publicity Bureau, Dublin.
British police later confirmed that two bombs, each containing an estimated two pounds of explosives, were defused.
The IRA paralysed Britain's central motorway network from early on Thursday morning through to 3pm on Friday afternoon as 30 miles of the M1 and M6 were shut as was a stretch of the M5 near Birmingham. The AA described the congestion caused ``as the worst seen in Britain'', while the Freight Transport Association has estimated the cost of the delays to industry at about £2.5m an hour because the journeys of more than 100,000 goods vehicles had been disrupted. Every day 180,000 drivers and 77,000 lorries use the three stretches of the motorway, described as ``the most important link of Britain's motorway network''. The Confederation of British Industry estimated that 90% of exports from the north of England are transported along Midlands motorways to the channel ports.
Then, in a follow-up, the IRA caused the postponement of the British Grand National on Saturday, inflicting serious damage to British prestige as a worldwide audience watched the evacuation of Aintree in Liverpool. On Monday John Major abandoned his soapbox and appeared at the rescheduled race.
The IRA statement read in full: ``The IRA were responsible for the disruption of the Grand National in England on Saturday. We remind John Major that had he given as much importance to the negotiation of an end to the conflict in Ireland over the past few years as he attaches to the disruption of a single sporting event, a lasting peace settlement would have been closer and conflict and disruption a thing of the past''.
Meanwhile claiming responsibility for the motorway attacks the IRA said, ``Volunteers of Oglaigh na hEireann planted two bombs on the M6 in the English midlands on Thursday 3 April''. Signed P O'Neill, Irish Publicity Bureau, Dublin.
British police later confirmed that two bombs, each containing an estimated two pounds of explosives, were defused.
The IRA paralysed Britain's central motorway network from early on Thursday morning through to 3pm on Friday afternoon as 30 miles of the M1 and M6 were shut as was a stretch of the M5 near Birmingham. The AA described the congestion caused ``as the worst seen in Britain'', while the Freight Transport Association has estimated the cost of the delays to industry at about £2.5m an hour because the journeys of more than 100,000 goods vehicles had been disrupted. Every day 180,000 drivers and 77,000 lorries use the three stretches of the motorway, described as ``the most important link of Britain's motorway network''. The Confederation of British Industry estimated that 90% of exports from the north of England are transported along Midlands motorways to the channel ports.