Council hard pressed to deal with litter

Longford Town Council is stretched to the limit in dealing with litter control in and around Longford town, a meeting was told this week.

Councillors were informed the local authority has no extra money at its disposal following concerns raised by Cllr Michael Connellan about the Church Street area of town.

He called for the removal of a refuse bin and the installation of a camera amid fears of a gradual upsurge in fly-tipping.

The Fianna Fail representative said he had recently taken a picture on his mobile phone of a full loaf of bread that had been stuffed inside the bin’s upper compartment.

In a bid to catch those responsible, Cllr Connellan asked the council to consider adding a suitable camera along Church Street, one of which he had recently sourced on a UK based website for just £184.

Town Clerk Dan Rooney said despite taking on board the Longford solicitor’s request, the council’s hands were tied.

“At the moment we don’t have the resources to deal with litter specifically on Church Street,” he said.

“We just don’t have the money to provide an extra camera.”

In spite of Mr Rooney’s comments, Cllr Connellan’s pleas received a favourable response from fellow Fianna Fail Cllr, Tony Flaherty.

Only four days prior to last Tuesday night’s meeting, Cllr Flaherty said he witnessed a UK-registered vehicle pull up alongside a refuse bin on Dublin Street and deposit a full to capacity black refuse bag.

“It’s (dumping) a major, major problem,” he said. “And it’s every weekend you see this sort of carry on. The rate payers of this town shouldn’t have to put up with it.”