Louth council using CCTV to monitor littering blackspots

Louth County Council has confirmed that more than 17 tonnes of illegally dumped household and construction waste was recovered…

Louth County Council has confirmed that more than 17 tonnes of illegally dumped household and construction waste was recovered from Ardee bog in Louth, which is recognised by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as a proposed Natural Heritage Area.

Some of the waste originated outside the county and a number of prosecutions are being taken against individuals in Dublin and Meath as a result.

The clean-up was part of the council's programme of events for National Spring Clean Week and took place two weeks ago.

A spokeswoman for the council confirmed that it has started to use CCTV cameras to monitor littering blackspots and they will be using them at the bog to prevent more rubbish being dumped.

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In recent days the cameras were concealed at a "bring centre" near Dunleer village. As a result, over 30 on-the-spot fines for €125 were issued.

"These detections were made over a 10-day period and 34 people were fined. Some had set out to do the right thing and had either not placed recyclables in the correct bin or else had left cardboard boxes behind," a spokeswoman said.

"A minority had actually dumped bags of household waste at the 'bring centre'."

County councillors were told this week that the local authority is one of the top 10 performers in the country in terms of bringing enforcement action through the courts. Litter warden Pádraig McKeown confirmed that nearly 1,000 littering fines were issued throughout the county, including the towns of Drogheda and Dundalk last year.

"This should prove as a deterrent to those who may be considering destroying our wonderful landscape by continuing the practice of illegally disposing of waste."