Longford among top five cleanest towns in country

Speaking to the Leader about the achievement, Cllr Seamus Butler said the county town held one of the highest positions in the region this time round and was something that everyone could be proud of.

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He also said that it was now time to become “proactive” in terms of dealing effectively with fly tippers and litter bugs.

“This of course is all thanks to the great work of all the volunteers that are out there every week collecting and picking up litter and rubbish from our streets,” the local area representative in Longford town added.

“There are still littered areas and these have brought Longford town in the rankings however we are planning to address the littering problem in the next municipal district budget.

“We are proposing to introduce a town sergeant with the powers to issue on-the-spot fines for people who litter,” Cllr Butler continued.

“At the moment we are being reactive to the problem rather than being proactive - so the plan is to deduct these fines at source.

“I do believe that this will change the behavior of the people in Longford who do litter.”

In the latest IBAL report Longford was described as having maintained its high ranking of recent years.

“The approach roads into the town were very good and this positive impression was sustained for the majority of the remaining sites which were surveyed,” it stated.

"Particularly good top ranking sites included St Mel’s Cathedral and Environs, New Street and Dunnes Stores Car Park – these areas were not just good with regard to litter but were very well presented and maintained.”