A man in his 40s was arrested yesterday, 3 October, and is currently being detained at Baltinglass Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The national estate risk manager for Coillte, Mick Power, said that Coillte in co-operation with the gardaí in Wicklow and Wexford, has been monitoring a number of timber thefts in the area.

It is understood that camera systems and other surveillance systems have been placed in areas of high activity where valuable sawlog timber has been known to be stolen “for some time now”.

Power added that most of the stolen material has been removed from Coillte standing sales, but some may have come from private sources as well. Due to the popularity of sawmilling and firewood, timber as a commodity is in big demand, according to Power.

As the gardaí continue to investigate the case, anyone with information regarding the issue is asked to contact Baltinglass Garda Station on 059-6482610 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666-111.