More than 100 caravans, some of which had been parked on the Curragh plains in Co Kildare, have arrived on other land owned by the State in Co Laois, the High Court heard. Judge Brian Cregan granted interim injunctions on Tuesday restraining trespass at 426 acres at the Great Heath of Maryborough, Portlaoise, opposite the Heath GAA club. The land is owned by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Infrastructure, and the injunctions are against “persons unknown” and 11 named people. The injunctions application was made by barrister Dylan West, for the Minister, on an ex parte basis (where only one side is represented).In an affidavit seeking the injunctions, David Delaney, assistant secretary for estate management with the Office of Public Works (OPW), which manages the land, said it was largely unenclosed and one of the few surviving semi-natural grasslands in Ireland, supporting diverse plant and animal communities. Portable toilets and skips were reported by the local council as having been delivered to the land and there were no facilities for processing the litter and waste.The OPW’s biodiversity officer indicated that this activity posed a significant adverse risk to the integrity of this ancient and rare grassland habitat. There are also a number of listed national monuments – an Iron Age rath, several ring barrows and a linear ditch – on the heath.Around June 22nd, gardaí reported about 50 vehicles and caravans were present on the land. Three days later, Delaney estimated there were between 80 and 100 caravans along with a large marquee. The encampment is within 20 to 30 metres of some private dwellings, he said.Security staff from Blackwater Bailiff and Asset Management Services Ltd, who had also dealt with trespassers in the Curragh, recognised the occupants of certain caravans, from France and England, who they had met before in the Curragh. Certain caravan occupants identified themselves and notices were served that they should leave. Delaney said there had been complaints from residents and stakeholders including that access of livestock to the land, which was traditionally used for grazing sheep, had been severely restricted. There were also health and safety concerns as well as concerns about potential dumping.The judge granted injunctions against trespass and said the case could come back on Friday.