Outrage as beachgoers leave precious Maharees strewn with noxious litter
EMPTY bottles, nappies and human excrement blighted the precious ecosystem of the Maharees this week after campers left the sensitive sand dunes in an appalling condition which had to be cleaned by locals.
The worst affected area was near Trench Bridge with the Castlegregory community left sickened by what they saw in an area they recently planted with marram grass to stabilise erosion. To make matters worse, judges from the Pride of Place Awards are set to visit the area this week as the Maharees Conservation Association is a finalist in the competition.
“The level of rubbish was appalling and such a pity. The irony is that just up the road there are recycling facilities,” said Martha Farrell, Secretary of Maharees Conservation Association.
“We can’t understand why people don’t take their litter away with them. The Maharees is a special area and we want people to share in this beauty, but it must be done in a sustainable way. It’s difficult to educate and make people aware of the fragility of the dunes if they haven’t been here before,” Martha added.
Local business man Jamie Knox said more chestnut fencing needs to be erected in sensitive parts of the beach. “We never want to see this happen again,” Jamie said.
“Everybody here is working together to make sure the Maharees doesn’t get destroyed. The council need to take the initiative and allow more chestnut fencing in the area. Tourism is so fragile in Castlegregory because there is not enough accommodation or campsites so we don’t need anything else to disrupt what we have,” he added.
Fianna Fail Deputy John Brassil is calling for a meeting with Kerry County Council staff to explore the prospect of preventing vehicles from accessing the area.
“This is an ongoing issue in all beaches around Kerry but in particular the Maharees where people are camping in places where they shouldn’t,” Deputy Brassil said.
“This area has a very tender landscape that could be destroyed in a week, undoing all the work by the local community and conservation association.
“This is just people taking advantage of a free place to stay and worse than that is leaving it in a mess for the locals to tidy up. It’s totally unacceptable,” he added.
Cllr Michael O’Shea is bringing a motion before this month’s municipal council meeting calling for more chestnut fencing.
“What happened last weekend was nothing short of disgraceful behaviour with no respect whatsoever shown by a group of individuals towards the community,” Cllr O’Shea said.