A Dublin man, who has been living in a tent and caravans, said he fears the local council will take it while he is not there.

James Douglas moved out of his parent's house four years ago, owing to his alcoholism.

Having slept in a tent for a period nearby, friends and family came together to get him a caravan.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council then removed it - and his friends and family came to his rescue again with a second caravan.

The council is now threatening to remove the second caravan.

He has been staying on a green area at the back of Rathsallagh Park housing estate in Shankill in south Dublin.

He told Pat Kenny: "I've been an alcoholic for years and I fell on bad times.

"I couldn't go back to the parent's house with the drink and plus then with the children as well then the house was over-crowded.

"I just decided to go out and get a tent... the neighbours seen me in the tent and decided to all chip in and get a caravan for me".

He said he stayed in the tent for "about six to eight weeks".

He said he then moved into the caravan for "about two and a half to three years", until he got a notice on the trailer door to remove it within 24 hours.

He said he believed this was because of its proximity to a local traveller halting site.

"To have it removed within 24 hours with one mile distance from the local travelling site", he explained.

"I actually done it in the car, it was actually a mile and a quarter away from it".

However he did not remove the caravan and armed guards and county council officers later seized it.

"I ran back to try stop them to get property and all out of it and they basically arrested me and left the children on the side of the road with the neighbours".

He said he has never received his personal belongings back.

He then lived in a make-shift tent, before he got a second caravan - where he lived for about three months.

"They now have put another notice to seize this caravan - they gave me 24 hours to remove that one from the field - which I have done.

"Now I've put it in the parking space around the corner".

He said he fears it will also be taken: "They haven't gave me alternatives or somewhere else to go - I get up every morning [and] I don't know if they're going to come and take it".

The local council has offered to put him up in a hotel for the three days a week that he has joint custody of his children.

The other days he would be put up in a hostel.

However he said this is not an option because he had a stroke before Christmas.

"Due to me medications and all, I wouldn't go into a hostel because I'd be in fear of me medication and all being robbed.

"Plus I'm a recovering alcoholic too, so I don't want to relapse and go back on the drink".

"I think life is hard enough without putting myself back down that road".