Town council admits using illegal dump in Kilrush

Kilrush Town Council has admitted to the illegal dumping of waste on council-owned property.

Arising from the dumping of old computers, bicycles, lorry tyres, bin bags, stones and soil on Cooraclare Road in Kilrush, Clare County Council was yesterday called upon to investigate.

Councillor Brian Meaney (Greens) said: "There has been no satisfactory answer given as to why it appears Kilrush Town Council attempted to bury the waste when the illegal dumping was first highlighted."

Mr Meaney has lodged a complaint with the Environmental Protection Agency. "Clare County Council should review the sorry saga, identify what it has cost and who received the payments from Kilrush Town Council for burying the waste."

He said any individual or organisation found engaging in this activity would face prosecution.

The council's town clerk Fiona Mooney said: "Wrong was done and within seven working days, we put it right. We have learned from it . . . we will be ensuring that it never happens again."

Ms Mooney acknowledged that there had been a breakdown in communication on local authority policy. "I have now communicated Kilrush Town Council's policy on waste right through to everyone."

Ms Mooney said she wrote to local man Patrick Jones who originally notified Kilrush Town Council of the illegal dump, to thank him for alerting her."You need vigilance out there to expose gaps in an organisation, and that is what has taken place. There won't be a recurrence of this."

Ms Mooney confirmed she contacted Clare County Council when she became aware of the incident.

The two trailer-loads of waste were dumped at the site by personnel employed by the council to dispose of waste where some could not be segregated for recycling at the local Lisdeen transfer station.