UKIP members stage demonstration at ‘wrong’ council venue

Three Mile Water candidate, Raymond Stewart told the Newtownabbey Times yesterday that the ‘leave means leave’ event would be staged ahead of the monthly meeting of Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council.

Last night’s meeting started at 6.30pm in Antrim Civic Centre.

However, the four UKIP supporters who took part in the demo, met outside Mossley Mill in Newtownabbey.

Speaking to the Times today, Mr Stewart said: “It was a logistical problem on our part. We believed the meeting was at Mossley Mill.

“We stood outside the council building from 5.55pm until 6.25pm, then went to the chamber, only to find it in darkness.

“We realised we were at the wrong venue, but didn’t travel to Antrim Civic Centre because it would have been too late by the time we arrived.”

The event was organised to show support for leaving the European Union.

Mr Stewart added: “A total of 17.4 million people in the United Kingdom voted to leave and that can’t be taken away.

“It is our right as rate payers to show our support for this. We weren’t holding the token event to cause trouble.”