As talks between striking refuse collectors and Bray Urban District Council got under way yesterday, there were urgent calls to deal with the four-week build-up of litter in the town's streets before it constitutes a health hazard.
The talks are being held at the Labour Relations Commission.
While private contractors are still operating in the town to remove the commercial waste and offer a domestic door-to-door service, the streets have not been swept and litter bins have not been emptied since the dispute began.
The streets around a number of premises, including takeaways, are particularly badly affected by the rubbish, which is accumulating in gutters and doorways. Litter bins are overflowing and in some cases are surrounded by plastic refuse bags.
In a statement issued to the press yesterday, the Bray Chamber of Commerce reminded its members of their legal obligations to sweep the immediate area in front of their premises, but also called for "an immediate resumption" of rubbish collection.
The strongly-worded statement from the chamber president, Mr Shay Fitzmaurice, said the dispute was "bad for business, bad for tourism and bad for the community as a whole. Worse than that, the uncollected litter is posing an increasingly serious threat to public health".
Asking if the town had to "wait for rats to start scuttling across the streets before something is done", Mr Fitzmaurice said it was high time council management and staff set aside their differences.
He added that Bray Chamber had written to both the management of Bray Urban District Council and union representatives, expressing the view that the damage caused to Bray as a commercial centre and tourist destination was considerable.
Mr Tom Murphy, the Bray town clerk, said he was aware of the chamber's concern. He also reminded businesses of their obligations to clean the area immediately affecting them. He said that while he would like to have the streets cleaned, bringing in private operators would only exacerbate the situation.
The UDC is attempting to negotiate a pay-per-bag system of household refuse collection, following a recent decision by the elected members that the council should not withdraw from the household collection service.
Talks resume at the Labour Relations Commission tomorrow.
