A MAN who had been threatened that his electricity would be cut off, today chained himself to the ESB headquarters.

Seamus Sherlock, an unemployed Limerick man, chained himself to railings outside the energy providers headquarters in Dublin today, even though his daughter was collecting her leaving cert.

Sherlock was joined by Sinn Fein TD Aengus O’Snodaigh and others as he protested against ESB’s refusal to accept his attempts to pay €50 a week off his outstanding bills.

The ESB has previously said that it would accept instalment payments and do what it could, to ensure that those who are finding it difficult to pay are not cut off, however, Sherlock felt that he had not been afforded any such leniency.

The separated father-of-five had been left a €2,261 bill, when he took over the household in June. He agreed to pay off €1,100 and asked if he could pay off €50 a month. The ESB refused.

Sherlock’s protest comes in the same week that the ESB reveald that 900 people a week are being cut-off.