AN ENVIRONMENTAL officer got climbing ropes and abseiled down a cliff on Achill Island to remove rubbish which had been illegally dumped and had become lodged on a rocky ledge, a court heard yesterday.
Achill environmental enforcement officers eventually removed more than four tonnes of household waste from the ledge at one of the west’s best-known beauty spots.
Judge Mary Devins was told at Achill District Court in Co Mayo that a French tourist had alerted authorities to the illegal dumping of household waste on the Atlantic Drive.
Lisa Guthrie, Kildownet, Achill, who had denied the charges, appeared before Judge Devins charged with “creating litter that is visible from a public place”.
She was found guilty and fined €500. She was ordered to pay a €750 contribution to the cost of cleaning up the area plus a further €500 costs for legal expenses and VAT.
Maria O’Connell, environmental enforcement officer with Mayo County Council, said that with the assistance of Civil Defence personnel, she abseiled to the ledge on the cliff where dumped material had accumulated.
There was a 30ft drop to the ledge, she said, plus a further 20ft drop to the sea below.
Ms O’Connell said there were six intact bags of rubbish on top of other waste that had accumulated over time.
Ms Guthrie’s name and address was found on an envelope at the site.
The total cost of the clean-up was €4,375, Ms O’Connell said.
Garret Bourke, solicitor, argued unsuccessfully that the defendant’s name was Lisa John and that she had always been known by the name.
There was no person by the name of Lisa Guthrie living in that area, he insisted.
However, the defendant admitted during cross-examination by Ward McEllin, solicitor for Mayo County Council, that she had been living with a man named Guthrie and that her children were known by that surname.
Judge Devins said there was a presumption that Lisa John was Lisa Guthrie and that presumption had not been rebutted by the evidence.