Athlone dumping hotspot 'must be tackled': O'Rourke
A notorious dumping blackspot in Athlone town must be tackled once and for all by the council, according to local councillor Aengus O'Rourke.
"There are two private sites side-by-side in the heart of Athlone town that are constantly in a heavily littered state and are used regularly by dumpers," said the Fianna Fáil representative.
"In the busy Golden Island area, the sites are close to each other, one is beside the Moldova Shop and the other is next to the Simon shop.
"For a number of years now I have worked with the council to establish the ownership of the sites in question.
"Correspondence has been sent and fines have been issued, however on each occasion, almost immediately after a clean-up has been undertaken, the sites return to their filthy condition once again.
"The onus is on every property owner to properly maintain their holding. This includes securing sites so that dumping can not be easily carried out.
"Fencing should be in place at these locations, and regular maintenance carried out by the owners. It should not fall to volunteers to carry out this work."
He said that, in his view, the local authority should now move to initiate compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) at these sites.
"It seems to me that the only way now for the council to deal with this matter is to CPO the sites in question," he said.
"I would also push for the council to deduct from the value the costs associated with any clean-ups carried out in recent years either by the council or Athlone Tidy Towns, the disposal of that waste, any unpaid fines (with penalties and interest) and the cost to secure the site with a proper boundary fence so it is secure going forward.
"In the meantime, I have asked the council to put the sites on the derelict site register. Registered properties attract a fine until they are put right.
"Along with other Tidy Towns volunteers in the recent past, I spent some hours removing rubbish from these sites only to see them littered again a week later.
"Nappies, beer cans, household waste, ashes, tyres, old bicycles and drugs paraphernalia are typically dumped there - all clearly visible to passersby and to those waiting at the nearby busy bus stop.
"We must take a harder line with those who flout the laws, and whose actions or lack of action serves to downgrade our town.
"Hit them where it hurts - in the pocket. There are many good uses the council could make of these sites in such a prominent location," Cllr O'Rourke concluded.