bugs out Gardai applauded for catching a 'litter lout' red-handed trying to dump rubbish in the Sally Gap

Gardai in Wicklow have been applauded for catching a “litter lout” red-handed as he tried to dump his rubbish in the Sally Gap over the weekend. 

Local gardaí posted images of the offender’s car and his waste thrown on the side of the road which received praise across social media.

Gardaí wrote on their Facebook page: “The driver of this car was observed dumping the rubbish pictured in the Sally Gap this weekend.

“Detective Gardaí on an anti-crime patrol watched him and he got to take his rubbish home with him, along with penalty notices for littering and unnecessary journey for him and the occupants.”

Wicklow Uplands Council gave the gardai a big thumbs up: "Great to see fines issued to these litter louts! Well done An Garda Síochána,” they wrote as they shared the post.

The topic struck a chord with many people who took to the comments section to express their disgust with people dumping their rubbish in local beauty spots.

“Excellent,” one person wrote. “The littering around featherbeds is absolutely shocking. Energy drink cans, condoms, beer cans, nitrous oxide canisters, discarded underwear, rizla packets, fast food wrappers etc. etc.”

Another added: “A lot more like that and they might finally get the message. Take your rubbish back home, you made it, you dispose of it properly and stop ruining our beautiful countryside!”

Last month the environmental group, the Pure Project revealed how it was involved in the collection of over 140 tonnes of illegally dumped waste, removed from over 750 dumping sites in the Wicklow/Dublin Uplands, last year.

They illustrated the scale of the problem by underling how, if all the rubbish removed from the uplands was placed into standard household rubbish bags, it would fill over 400,000 bags. If the bags were lined up on the road it would stretch all the way from Dublin to Dingle.

Ian Davis, Pure Manager, said they had made huge progress in reducing illegal dumping in the uplands.

“If you compare the amount of dumping we collected in 2020, which was 140 tonnes of waste, to 2008 which was our busiest year, when we removed 440 tonnes, we've seen a 68 per cent reduction,” he said. “However, it is extremely important that we do not become complacent, because if we do, it won't take long before dumping will be on the increase.”

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Online Editors