The Courts Service wrote to solicitors, gardaí and other court users yesterday to confirm the courthouse will not be able to host business until possibly as late as December, the Irish Examiner reports.

The bats were discovered during repairs to the courthouse roof and work has been forced to pause while “certain procedures” are followed, including a full survey of the bat population early next month.

A spokesperson for the Courts Service said: “No bat roost will be moved from the roof space. As it is a maternal bat roost, the pup bats will fledge with the parent bats in the coming weeks and we will need to ensure that bats can return to the roost in the coming years.”

The cost of the works, originally estimated at €105,000, could also rise as a result of the works.