Motorist furious at filth along N71

CORK County Council has put a new clean-up crew in place, after receiving a letter from a furious motorist about the filthy state of the N71 outside Skibbereen.

MacDara O’Hici, a senior executive officer with Cork County Council, confirmed that the crew is currently undergoing training to carry out roadside clean-ups.

Speaking at a meeting of the Western Committee of Cork County Council, he said the local authority places a strong emphasis on engaging with and working with local communities in tackling the issue of litter.

 He said the Council had carried out surveillance operations in relation to waste management issues, but it continued to rely on members of the community to report incidents, such as the time, location and car registration number, in situations where people dump rubbish at the side of the road.

Mr O’Hici pointed out that the Council has a dedicated phone number for reporting such incidents – 021 4285417. He said people could also contact the Council about this issue in confidence by emailing [email protected].

He made the remarks after reading a letter from a member of the public who was ‘shocked’ at the level of rubbish on the side of the N71, particularly on the drive from Skibbereen through Leap and onto Connonagh.

‘Papers, bottles, cups and even bags of rubbish, which are split open, were just left sitting there,’ according to the irate motorist, who suggested it is time for the local authority to adopt a get tough approach to litter louts.

‘Why,’ the motorist asked, ‘should the community rely on the goodwill, time and efforts of small groups of local volunteers who go out a pick up other people’s crap, often near fast moving traffic and in bad weather?’