Funding but no start date for CCTV at bring banks

FUNDING has been secured for new CCTV in Tuam, but Galway County Council have yet to give a date for when they will be introduced.

Last year the council announced a pilot project of rolling out CCTV in a bid to catch those responsible for illegal dumping. The recycling and clothing banks located in the Palace Grounds carpark was chosen as one of the four initial sites.

Eileen Ruane, Director of Services for the Environment, revealed at a recent meeting of Galway County Council that they had secured €40,000 in funding for their Anti-Dumping Initiative. This would allow them to purchase all the necessary equipment.

However, she could not give any date for their implementation, but noted that they were progressing towards the final stages of the process.

“CCTV cameras are badly needed at the Coral Leisure Centre in Tuam, as illegal dumping around the bottle and clothes banks is a huge problem. It is even worse at weekends, especially around a bank holiday,” commented Cllr Siobhan McHugh Ryan.

“We had screens in the past that made people aware of the fines and they were helpful, but CCTV cameras would be a great addition as we need evidence to enforce fines on people.”

Relocating clothes banks

Despite the clothing banks being emptied twice a week, council staff still have to clear up bags of clothes dumped at the site, which cannot be reused.

Councillors in Tuam had previously suggested moving the banks to a different location or removing them entirely due to the persistent problem of illegal dumping.

“People disposing bags of their unwanted clothes even when the banks are full is a growing problem. This is putting extra pressure on Tidy Towns groups across the county, as the banks are usually in very visible locations,” warned Ballinasloe MD Cllr Evelyn Parsons.

“It is unfair that their hard work is being impacted by people leaving their bags of clothes behind. More CCTV cameras are needed, plus we need more pickups too, so the banks don’t get clogged up. Otherwise, the banks need to be moved to new locations,” she concluded.