Some bottle! Calls for CCTV at the bottle banks in rural Longford

A councillor who called for CCTV to deter further incidents of illegal dumping at the bottle banks at Drumlish National School has been told that No Dumping signs will be erected and the site will be visited by a litter warden at least once a week as part of measures required before CCTV can be considered.

Cllr David Cassidy made the proposal for CCTV measures at a recent meeting of the Granard Municipal District and pointed out that the issue of illegal dumping has been a persistent problem over the years and was recently brought to his attention again by Drumlish Tidy Towns.

In a written response, the Environment Section of Longford County Council confirmed they had received five complaints of illegal dumping at the bottle banks in Drumlish this year so far and that each incident “has been investigated and the waste removed.”

They added that prior to the erection of CCTV cameras at any location, the Environment Section must prepare “a robust business case for the consideration of the Data Protection Officer and the CCTV Oversight Board.”

The letter went on to state that a key element of the business case “is a detailed review of the necessity for use of CCTV, which includes, details the number of complaints received in respect of the specific site, the number of enforcement actions and successful prosecutions associated with the specific site, and the number of reported instances of illegal dumping.

“It is also a requirement that we do everything we can to prevent and detect illegal dumping at the specific location including the erection of no dumping signs and regular patrols of the area, prior to considering the erection of CCTV.”

They added, “Having reviewed the complaints in relation to Drumlish Bottle Banks, I can confirm that NO DUMPING signs will be erected and the Litter Warden will visit the site at least once per week.”

Cllr Garry Murtagh said the issue was a county-wide problem and suggested that if the council was not in a position to provide CCTV, a community centre or school beside the bottle banks might do so.

He added that when the perpetrators are caught and fined, the money could then go towards the community centre or the school in question. Cllr Murtagh also pointed out that it had been done in Cavan and therefore should be considered in Longford.

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