Illegal dumping on the increase
Thursday March 04 2010
THE illegal dumping of domestic waste by the roadside is turning a wellknown beauty spot near the village of Glenville into a virtual rubbish tip.
Our graphic picture shows the appalling condition of the countryside near the well-known Ardarou Wood, which has been targeted by fly-tippers in recent months.
The pile of rubbish dumped by the roadside includes full bags full of domestic rubbish, a broken child's buggy, a large mattress, paint cans and a smashed sink.
The problem has been made worse by scavenging animals that have ripped open some of the bags disgorging their putrid contents.
One local man who walks his dog in the woods on a regular basis said that instances of people dumping their rubbish along the quiet country roads adjacent to the woods had increased dramatically of late.
"Dumping has always been a problem in the area, probably because the roads around here are quiet with very little traffic passing through, particularly after dark," said the man who asked not to be named.
"However the amount of waste dumped in the locality seems to have increased since the start of the year. It is not unusual to walk along here on a Saturday morning and find three or four new piles of rubbish," he added.
He described the situation as "disgusting" and urged Cork County Council to take action against those responsible for the dumping. "It's appalling to think that people could have such little regard for what is such a beautiful area of the countryside," he said.
A spokesman for the council's environment section said they would investigate the situation and if necessary undertake a surveillance operation in the area to catch those responsible.
"The first thing we will do is to look through the rubbish for any letters or correspondence that might lead us to whoever is dumping the rubbish there. We may even put in place regular patrols around the woods at different times of the day," said the spokesman.
"Anyone found to be dumping domestic waste along the lane will be prosecuted through the District Court which takes a very dim view on this kind of activity," he warned.
- BILL BROWNE
