A Ballyhaunis woman was convicted and fined a total of €1,150 for illegal dumping in Ballyhaunis District Court this week.
Margaret Cleary of 2 Stone Street, Ballyhaunis, pleaded guilty to the charges in court. Des Hannick, an environmental enforcement officer with Mayo County Council, told the court that his office received a call in relation to illegal dumping in the area of Hazel Hills in Ballyhaunis on November 25 2009. He and the litter warden in the area called to the scene where they found quite an amount of rubbish and clothes had been dumped. Some of the rubbish was loose, some was in bags, and some more had been stuffed in a duvet which had burst open. After collecting the rubbish and going through it they found a clothing catalogue which had been addressed to Mrs Cleary’s daughter.
Mr Hannick said that he called to the address on the catalogue where he spoke to Margaret Cleary who told him that a week previously she had given a few bags of rubbish to a Brian Collins who told her that he was going to the landfill in Ballaghaderreen. She had no receipt for this transaction and she could not give Mr Hannick a contact number for Mr Collins.
The cost of the clean up to the council was €700, and the council is also currently pursuing another individual in relation to the incident. Judge David Anderson convicted and fined Mrs Cleary €300, decreed €350 towards the clean up costs against her and €500 in costs towards the council.
