Making Ends Meet...

Losses of homes and businesses as a result of the Troubles has meant severe financial hardships for many people.  The financial costs of violence to people's lives is described in this section.

I have a chemist shop in
a location greatly affected by the Troubles.
To repair damage caused by vandals costs
between £300 and £1,200 per annum.
Two years ago I spent £65,000 on refurbishment
but still the defacing of the property continues.
You know you are losing money
but it is accepted as a war situation.
My commercial property is continuously damaged by sectarian louts.
The door and walls are covered in slogans.
The most I paid for one nights damage was £900,
last October I paid £200 for one night's damage.

  ......

We had a remoulding factory in the bottom of the Donegall Road,
it got burned out
I opened up premises in May Street
then I got bombed there.
I had about £200,000 in stock and tyres.
I had about £50,000 in the bank, in cash,
The police refused to give me a certificate.
I owed the bank £80,000.
I was doing business with a Swiss firm
I owed them £50,000
[The Northern Ireland Office ]offered me £117,000.
I lost everything.
I took two heart attacks in a week.

Additional extracts from:  a woman wrongly imprisoned for ten months who received no compensation for the time she spent in prison; a woman who lost her home to sectarian violence; a former prison officer.

Proceed to next section 'Rough Justice'

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