Major cleanup set for estate in Tullamore following years of neglect

Illegal dumping at Chancery Close in Tullamore has plagued the area for years, leading residents to report rat infestations to the HSE and Offaly County Council.

Discussions about tackling the issue date back to 2021, when the use of CCTV was considered during an Offaly County Council meeting.

Councillors then highlighted problems with anti-social behaviour and the late Councillor Ken Smollen said ''Some of the residents had bought their houses and were paying mortgages and one said he had to live in what “looks like a landfill site”.

A major clean up operation is now scheduled for September. At the July meeting of Tullamore Municipal District, Mark Mahon, Senior Engineer with Climate Action, Environment & Water Services at Offaly County Council said €80,000 has been secured by waste management at the council.

''Our first project is the dumping issue in Chancery Close,'' he said. But added that it wasn't a straightforward issue.

Councillor Sean O'Brien shared his personal experience. ''I went out one night and saw a dump truck throwing off stuff. I tried to get a number but they went at such a speed. Unfortunately these people are extremely organised and operate outside the law. It is causing massive issues and it's now rat infested. I said to someone it's not the council who is dumping, it has to be a whole community response. It has to be cleared as soon as possible,'' he said.

Councillor Declan Harvey said it was a ''third world issue''. He added that it will take ''some amount of money, time and effort,'' to get the rubbish cleared.