Illegal dumping hits a new low in Mayo

RESIDENTS of a rural community on the outskirts of Castlebar were outraged today when they discovered that meat carcasses had been dumped overnight at a site near their homes.

Householders in the village of Liscromwell, off the N5 roadway, are shocked and disappointment over such an act of illegal dumping that presents a threat to public health.

Local man Pat Murphy took photographs of the dumping and posted them on his Facebook page and it was not long before people started to express their anger.

Pat told The Connaught Telegraph: "There has been quite a bit of rubbish being dumped in the general area in recent weeks - but this is an all-time  disgusting low."

A member of the Castlebar Tidy Towns committee said dumping of meat carcasses has environmental and health implications.

Ger Deere called on the environmental section of Mayo County Council to put a plan in place, along with the HSE's public health department, to clean up the site immediately.

He said an investigation should also be conducted into the matter by the two agencies with the assistance of the Department of Agriculture.

"Every effort must be made to track down those responsible and ensure they face the full rigours of the law," he added.

Because of the public health implications, tidy towns volunteers are not permitted to involve themselves in the clean-up as it is a specialist operation.