DERRY City and Strabane District Council have erected CCTV on a laneway in William St in response to the ongoing issue of commercial waste being dumped illegally on a private laneway.
This is part of ongoing efforts by Council and its partners in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency to address the issue and to proactively encourage businesses to take their responsibility seriously in relation to this issue.
The Council’s Enforcement and Cleansing teams regularly visit the area to inspect and remove waste bags and food waste from the laneway whilst Environmental Health Department teams have been meeting with traders in the area reminding them of their duties as commercial operators and offering advice and assistance on best practices and of their responsibility to ensure the laneway is kept clear and accessible at all times.
Cllr Martin Reilly, Chair of Environment and Regeneration with Derry City and Strabane District Council is hopeful that the erection of CCTV in the area will act as a deterrent to indiscriminate dumping at William Street.
He said: “The ongoing indiscriminate dumping at William Street has been an ongoing issue for Council for some time and a lot of effort and resources have gone into raising awareness of the issues and cleaning up the area.
“This type of indiscriminate dumping is having a hugely negative impact on the local community who live, work and shop in the William Street area and we are very pleased that CCTV has been erected in this area and hopeful that it will go some way towards helping us address this issue.”
“We are very much aware of this issue and Council does not shy away from its responsibilities however in this case it is important that businesses take responsibility for their commercial waste, behave responsibly and adhere to the law when disposing of their commercial waste.
“The Council is not responsible for and should never need to clean up areas in the city centre that are privately owned and which have deposits of commercial waste that is the responsibility of private traders”.
“We will continue to work proactively with our partners at the NIEA and the City Centre Initiative to assist in resolving this issue as we recognise the importance of keeping areas such as William Street, litter and waste free. We acknowledge the detrimental impact the current situation is having on our city centre and are committed to working with all parties to have it resolved.”
Urging the public to report any incidences of illegal dumping to the Council directly, the Council spokesperson said it needs the support of the wider community to tackle the issue/
Where a person is found guilty of indiscriminate dumping they may be liable on summary conviction, to imprisonment or to a fine up to £20,000 or to both.
For information on refuse enforcement contact the Enforcement Section at 028 71 253 253 Ext 6868 or e mail [email protected].
