Dumpers face Government clampdown

Life will never be the same again for those who dump rubbish on one of the most beautiful parts of Ireland following a Government decision to hunt them down.

The Garda Siochana has been authorised to launch a full-scale investigation into illegal refuse tips in Co Wicklow - and probe possible links with criminal gangs.

The move follows the discovery in recent months of a series of illicit dumps in the imposing Wicklow mountains and surrounding counties, some of the sites containing medical waste collected from leading Dublin hospitals.

But the finds have also served to highlight a disturbing nationwide habit, albeit on a smaller scale, of leaving all sorts of unwanted items - from old cars and beds to kitchen and garden waste - in the most unsuitable locations.

Local authority litter wardens throughout the country face a near impossible task in keeping their areas neat and tidy.

Officials in the greater Dublin area get up to six emergency calls from concerned members of the public every day.

One, George Burrows, reported: ‘‘There are just not enough hours in the day to deal with this. Some people see rubbish that has been left and leave their own stuff there believing it to be a proper dump.’’

In Dublin last year, 1,400 fines were imposed and more than 200 prosecutions were initiated. But the anti-rubbish teams believe that is only the tip of the iceberg, and the underlying problem is massive.

The belief is that some institutions, like hospitals, pay contractors to take away their waste on the assumption that it is going to an official site.

But it often ends up marring a beauty spot and generating a genuine health hazard in the process.

The imminent garda action against the dumpers has won widespread approval.

Local Fianna Fail member Dick Roche said he was ‘‘absolutely thrilled’’ at the development, adding: ‘‘This is just what is needed.’’

Sinn Fein’s Nicky Kehoe added: ‘‘The discovery of unauthorised dumps in Dublin, Wicklow and elsewhere has proved that illegal dumping is a scourge that needs to be tackled head-on. I hope that this garda investigation will result in the prosecution of those responsible for such acts.’’

Patricia McKenna, Green member of the European Parliament for the region, commented: ‘‘This is a long-overdue inquiry that should be pursued throughout the state.’’

She also called for local authorities found to be failing to comply with European Union regulations on waste to be ‘‘named and shamed’’ and for restoration work to be carried out where environmental damage was found to have been caused.