by Alan Jacques
ULTRASONIC rodent repellers have been issued to residents in St Mary’s Park to ensure their homes are not overrun by rats disturbed during a major clean-up of the riverbank that gets under way next week.
City North representative Maurice Quinlan welcomed confirmation that the government has allocated €750,000 for a major clean-up of the back field in St Mary’s Park. He believes the local dump has been a scar on an otherwise very scenic location.
“It was unfair that people had to live in such close proximity to what was basically an illegal dump. This news is long overdue and will come as an enormous relief to the people of St Mary’s Park especially,” the Sinn Fein councillor said.
The area of the Island Bank was subjected to illegal dumping over a long number of years. According to Cllr Quinlivan, a number of disreputable refuse collectors as well as some domestic users dumped rubbish at the site for years.
“This area was in a very bad state and requires massive remedial work to return it to its natural beauty. The funding will mean a clean-up should be finished during the summer.
“This was not a simple issue of someone dumping occasionally but a sustained dumping for years took place in the area. It is at present in an appalling state and I’m delighted that work is to commence in the very near future”, he added.
