Please don't dump litter in our waterways

Think twice before dumping litter into our waterways this summer

Press Release

14 May 2021

Longford County Council is appealing to people to refrain from dumping litter into our lakes and rivers this summer. It follows the wonderful under-water clean-up completed by County Longford Scuba Divers Club last week which highlighted the amount of dangerous materials that can lie underneath the surface.

Environmental Awareness Officer Gary Brady said “We want to commend, congratulate and most importantly, thank all of the members of County Longford Scuba Divers Club for their hard work and the community-minded attitude that they have demonstrated. Not only did they lend their time and their efforts to this clean-up, but they also offered their expertise towards making Barley Harbour a safer outdoor amenity for locals and visitors alike to enjoy.”

The members of County Longford Scuba Divers undertook the activity voluntarily as part of the Longford’s Green Keep It Clean Campaign while completing a training exercise at Barley Harbour in Newtowncashel, Co Longford. They uncovered some hazardous items from the lakebed including a dagger which could have caused serious injury to someone using the amenity.

County Longford Scuba Divers spoke out on social media after completing the work describing the level of litter as “truly shocking and astonishing”. Longford County Council would like to reiterate their thanks to all of the divers present and encourage any other local organisations who feel they could help, to try and incorporate a litter pick or a clean-up into their next outdoor activity, if possible under current public health guidelines.

The following divers were present on Friday last in Barley Harbour, Newtowncashel, Co Longford: Paul Clancy, John Flannigan, James Cahill, Frank McNamee, James Hanley, Neil Cummiskey, Cathal Sherridan, Jem Howard, Seamus Duignan, Frank Maxwell, Dougles Feltz, Rose Kane and Brendan Flannigan.

Quality images to accompany this release are courtesy of County Longford Scuba Divers and may be found at the below link: https://we.tl/t-VRBQYMr0sl