Dumped bags of rubbish near Lough Talt

A fly-tipper was identified after litter wardens found a doctor’s prescription among rubbish he had dumped at Lough Talt last March.

Thomas Lawrence of Ard na Rí, Ballina, pleaded guilty at Tubbercurry District Court last Wednesday to dumping the rubbish at the scenic South Sligo lake. Judge Kilrane told Lawrence to look at photos of the rubbish.

“Why deposit that filth in a place of particular scenic beauty?” he asked Lawrence.

The defendant admitted he shouldn’t have done it and said he was “very, very sorry.”

The rubbish included beer bottles and other personal items. When the judge asked Lawrence why he dumped it, the defendant had no answer, other than to say his two children attended a Special needs school. He had no previous convictions.

Judge Kilrane said it was “an appalling act” and fined the defendant ¤550, which he said he could pay in installments.