Members of the Travelling community in County Galway are warning that many families are being forced to live in "uninhabitable, unsafe and unhealthy" conditions.

The Galway Traveller Movement (GTM) this morning presented a report on conditions at halting sites in the county to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

It warns that Galway City and County Councils have failed to make any meaningful progress on the issue in recent year.

It is the third monitoring report produced by the group in the past two years.

3rd Monitoring Report is being launched today. Demonstrations outside Galway City Council & Galway County Council. We must end substandard accommodation conditions & violation of human rights standards with regards to accommodation for Travellers in Galway #TravellerHomesNow pic.twitter.com/Hv2YoMCR5j

— Brian Hughes (@b_m_hughes) December 2, 2019

It highlights a host of health and safety issues the group is accusing authorities of failing to address.

These include families being forced to live without heat and cooking facilities, leaks and cracks in walls and chimneys and rat infestations.

“This report is very distressing but unfortunately it is no longer shocking,” said GTM spokesperson Bridget Kelly.

“Traveller families are being forced to live in these disgraceful and stressful conditions for decades now because our landlords – Galway City and County Councils – continue to blatantly ignore the rights of our community to safe and healthy culturally appropriate accommodation.”

She said the situation is forcing Travellers to choose between “our cultural rights and our basic need for decent accommodation for our children and loved ones.”

“It’s unjust, undeniable and unforgiveable,” she said.

The group is urging the councils to deliver on their commitments to provide adequate Traveller accommodation immediately.

It warned that up to the end of last month Galway City Council had not drawn down any of its Traveller accommodation funding for the year.

Meanwhile, Galway County Council had drawn down 10% of its allocation.