In its ongoing campaign of litter prevention, Westmeath County Council recently took a number of prosecutions under the Litter Acts.
In Athlone and Mullingar District Courts on September 2 and 3, a total of eight people were successfully prosecuted with fines up to €3,000 imposed. In these cases additional legal costs of up to €750 were awarded to the council. In one particular case a person was disqualified from driving for a period of one year for using their vehicle while committing an offence under the Litter Acts.
CCTV evidence was used in a number of cases. Judge Neilan commended Westmeath County Council’s willingness to adopt and use new technology in their effort to eliminate litter and illegal dumping. He was also very impressed with the quality of the CCTV footage.
Westmeath County Council works with a number of companies in the use of CCTV and in particular with a Dublin-based company, Rapid Response, who collaborate with the Research and Innovation Unit in NUI Maynooth in developing cutting edge technology in the use of CCTV systems.
Commenting on the success of this initiative, county manager, Daniel McLoughlin said, “Members of the public need to take responsibility for their environment. In particular they should be aware that leaving any material in or around a bottle bank or clothes bank is an offence under the Litter Acts. This includes empty boxes and bags and recyclable goods which are not put into the appropriate banks. The council will use the full range of technology and the law to stop illegal dumping and prevent litter.”
