Derry City Council is stepping up its battle against illegal dumping in the city’s laneways.
Conor Canning, the Head of Environmental Services at the Council, said the issue of waste in laneways and alleyways was a “serious problem” and the local authority would be investigating refuse dumped iby checking the waste for identification so that fixed penalty notices could be issued.
In an effort to alleviate the problem, Mr Canning encouraged the public to dispose of any excess waste at the local civic Amenity sites.
Mr Canning pointed out Council had no legal responsibility to clear lanes as they were private property and received regular complaints and worked with communities in addressing the issues raised.
He added: “The majority of these lanes are private property, they belong to the houses attached to them or to whomever they pay their ground rent. It is the residents’ responsibility to use their bins properly, to present them correctly on collection day and to bring them back in after collection.”
Urging people to avail of the free collection service provided by Council or to take excess waste to the civic amenity site, Mr Canning said if residents were using their bins properly there should be no problems with excess waste.
He added: “Derry City Council is happy to work with residents and local community groups in an effort to raise awareness of the problems and to look at preventative measures.”
Mr Canning concluded: “We are happy to work with elected members and local representatives in assisting communities clean up of these areas but would like to remind residents that they have responsibility for their waste and must dispose of it properly.
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