Hidden camera to expose litter louts

Sligo County Council plans to catch litter louts on camera.

A new €14,000 camera is to be hidden at various strategic locations as part of a campaign against illegal dumping throughout Yeats Country.

The camera can be hidden easily in places such as bird boxes, street furniture and bins.

Staff at the council's headquarters in Riverside, Sligo, will be able to monitor the round-the-clock footage in a bid to stamp out a range of illegal activities.

The equipment will also be used to monitor anti-social behaviour, graffiti painters, and those who allow their dogs to foul public spaces.

Staff intend to set up the motion-sensored camera at five locations each year, keeping it at each trouble spot for an average of 10 weeks.

The council's environmental officer, Fiona Kelly, said the surveillance would allow evidence to be collected which could if necessary be used to establish cases in court.

She said there was a lot of illegal dumping around recycling banks, and people wanted this stamped out.