Refuse on public path ‘a major health hazard’
Access to a footpath on Newmarket Street in Fermoy has largely been blocked by a full-to-the-brim Skippo Bag, which has allegedly replaced another located in the same area previously, the situation being described as a ‘major health hazard’.
The owners of a local business who acknowledge responsibility of the on-street rubbish heap, which grew further this week with the addition of a second skip bag and further waste electrical goods, told TheAvondhu that they were in the process of arranging for the bags to be removed, following a visit from the local authority litter warden late last week.
However the bags were still in place at the time of going to print on Wednesday.
But Cork County Council are now being called on to act and see that its removal is enforced. Local activist Tadhg O’Donovan estimates that the bag and other associated rubbish have been on Newmarket Street for around 8 weeks: this timeframe was confirmed by a neighbouring business and a resident of a neighbouring apartment.
“If you look at the material that is in it, it’s a major health hazard,” Mr O’Donovan said. “It’s out on the public street and there are children passing up and down there every day. If they were even to handle the stuff, the consequences could be tragic.”
RATS
It is understood that the bag is largely filled with domestic waste, and Mr O’Donovan said he has seen rats in the skip bag on his regular litter picking excursions. Crows and birds are also a concern, as their picking at the black bin-liners in the skip bag could see the contents and rubbish scattered around the area.
In previous months, Cork County Council took action against a number of private bin owners who had been keeping their bins in a public space on the corner of Connolly St, across from the Fermoy Public Library.
Speaking in this instance, Mr O’Donovan noted that this refuse bag is located mere yards from that area.
“It’s within 50 yards of where they were enforcing the law a couple of months ago. To me, there doesn’t seem to be any coherent policy on the part of the local authority. If something is a major health risk as that situation is, they should be acting on it. Nobody seems to be doing anything,” a frustrated Mr O’Donovan added.
Neither Fermoy MD office nor Cork County Council’s press office responded to TheAvond
hu’s request for comment by the time of going to print.