Johnson Condemns Downpatrick Fly Tippers

SINN Féin Down District Councillor Liam Johnston has condemned those responsible for dumping household rubbish in a beauty spot on the outskirts of Downpatrick.

Cllr Liam Johnston looks over rubbish dumped close to the Downpatrick Recycling Centre. 

He said, "Having been contacted by locals who walk along the Old Course Road, which is approximately 500 yards from the Cloonagh Road amenity recycling site, I found a variety of household waste when I went to investigate. This included mattresses, chairs, old computer monitors, and other household waste dumped by the side of the road. 

While acknowledging that the closure of the amenity centre two days a week is not an ideal scenario, Cllr Johnston stressed that “the centre is open five days a week including Saturday and Sunday to accommodate people who are still working. I think lessons have been learned regarding the closure of the centre over the Christmas period, but there is no excuse for this illegal dumping.”

The amenity centre is closed on the two slowest days of the week to keep costs down. Cllr Johnston added "Whether we agree with it or not, it does help to keep the districts rates low at this time of financial difficulty for many of our ratepayers.

“Every week in our local papers there is an article on either illegal dumping, litter dropping, or dog fouling. Due to these peoples’ inconsiderate behaviour the bill is continuously being picked up by hard pressed ratepayers. It is about time the culprits caught themselves on!”