Lack of rain leading to stains on Main Street

DISTRICT Engineer Sean Kavanagh has told councillors that the system of cleaning Wexford’s busy Main Street is currently under review and he plans to take a personal interest in the task over the next few weeks.

THE information came after Cllr. George Lawlor highlighted the problem of staining on the surface of the street which is presenting an unsightly image of the town during the height of the tourist season. ‘The pedestrian area is really badly stained. I appreciate that we have had a heatwave but can we try and think outside the box in relation to the commercial area of the town’, said the Labour councillor.

‘I know there are outlets that are contributing to the staining and I appreciate the difficulties we have encountered but I would ask that we look at addressing it. Wexford Tidy Towns have achieved a silver medal and have their sights set on gold and it would be a shame if we lost out because the streets are not clean’, said Cllr. Lawlor.

Mr. Kavanagh said the usual routine is for the Main Street to be washed after the Wexford Food Festival and again before Christmas at a cost of €5,000 but there has been no rain for 10 weeks, resulting in a build-up of stains from leaking bins and the spillage of ice-creams and soft drinks.

He said the area from Ulster Bank to Monck Street was cleaned a fortnight ago along with the section between Charlotte Street and the Bullring while last week, the sections from the Bullring to Shaws and Penney’s to Henrietta Street were washed. The Council will continue cleaning other areas of staining as they arise, he said, adding that the local authority uses contractors for the work.

‘There is nothing inherently wrong with the surface. It was sealed 15 years ago and it’s still intact’, he said. The engineer added that the local authority is looking at new solar-powered rubbish-compacting bins for the Main Street which would send a signal to the operator when full.