Street cleaners to help keep Newcastle clean

Street cleaners to help keep Newcastle clean

28 July 2021

ADDITIONAL cleaning staff are to be deployed to help keep some of the district’s most popular areas litter free.

The confirmation comes after Mournes councillor Willie Clarke and council chairwoman Cathy Mason expressed concern about litter levels along Newcastle promenade and other parts of the resort, including neighbouring Dundrum.

They have urged the local authority to implement a new strategy to address the issue with the appeal coming after a significant increase in visitors to Newcastle and Dundrum over recent weeks with people making the most of the soaring temperatures.

Cllr Clarke said it was vital that local towns and villages are clean and welcoming both for residents and visitors, warning that the litter issue cannot be allowed to continue “summer after summer”.

He added: “Newry, Mourne and Down Council is are aware that during this period, Newcastle and surrounding areas see an increase in visitors as people enjoy their holidays.

“It must be a priority for the organisation to ensure that plans and resources are in place to tackle the issue long term.”

Cllr Mason said she was “shocked” at the levels of litter she witnessed at Newcastle promenade recently.

“The resort is one of our most popular seaside towns renowned for its beautiful beaches and hot spot tourist attractions. The recent good weather saw an increase in visitors but the scenes of rubbish lying over the ground was more than disappointing,” she said.

Cllr Mason revealed that after viewing litter strewn across the promenade, she arranged an urgent meeting with the council’s senior management team to discuss the need for a long-term approach to keeping the streets clean.

“Following the meeting, council officials confirmed that they will be progressing the provision of additional resources for a six-week period, with the so-called scrubber sweeper to be dispatched which will deeply clean the streets and hopefully significantly improve the appearance of the resort. Additional litter bins are also to be provided.”

Cllr Mason said that while she and Cllr Clarke welcome this confirmation, they plan to continue lobbying the council for a long term plan to tackle the litter problem to ensure the issue does not continue to arise each summer.