Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
One man went to..doh!
Council staff miss warning signs as meadow beauty spot gets mowed
A WILDFLOWER meadow backed by a local council to support insects and rare plants has been destroyed – by its own staff.
It is understood that years of work went into developing the site at Coalisland recycling centre in Co Tyrone with permission from Mid Ulster District Council.
Despite signs at the muchloved beauty spot reading “don’t mow yet” the council’s own staff destroyed the haven for bees, butterflies and dragonflies within minutes last Monday, while a bird box containing three eggs was also knocked down.
And it has sparked serious anger among the local community.
Local SDLP councillor Malachy Quinn, right, said: “I was in the recycling centre about a month ago and I remember thinking, that’s a really nice touch.
“Declan Coney has a lot to do with it, nurturing and all that sort of stuff. He wasn’t there that day and the whole thing was cut up into mulch unfortunately – they have destroyed it completely.
“We have a ‘don’t mow, let it grow’ [policy] specifically for that. I have pushed for that the last couple of years – wildflower gardens. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t happy about it.” Cllr Quinn said that local people were very angry about the damage caused by the council mower.
He added: “[It was] a shining example to the rest of the council area and all of a sudden, two minutes, and it’s completely and utterly destroyed. Years’ work destroyed in five minutes. It’s unacceptable.”
It is understood the beauty spot in Coalisland contained a number of rare bee orchids which are protected plants under the Northern Ireland Wildlife Order, as well as a range of other species.
A spokesperson for Mid Ulster District Council said: “This area was cut in error and we can only apologise.
“We are putting measures in place to ensure it does not happen again and we are working to re-establish the wildflower area.”