Landscape being blighted by 'disgusting' litter as people 'enjoy' warm weather
Several areas of beauty across the country have been left blighted by litter as people take to beaches and parks to enjoy the hot weather.
Lisa McCabe was compelled to spend an hour yesterday cleaning rubbish that was left scattered on Laytown beach in Meath.
"Humanity is doomed if we continue like this - there's no hope for the future," she said, after she and another woman collected three car boot loads of rubbish from the strand.
Ms McCabe was not the only one expressing her dismay at the state of some hotspots which were left in disarray by some people revelling in the recent heatwave.
A disgusted irishexaminer.com and breakingnews.ie reader sent this image of litter he had spotted during a recent visit to James Fort in Kinsale.
Other photos on social media from Kerry to Sligo show beaches and roadsides strewn with bottles, nappies, plastic and even nappies.
Radio Kerry posted images of a tractor shovel filled with beer bottles at the Maharees at the Dingle Peninsula after locals undertook a clean-up effort after the weekend.
There were similar scenes at Brittas Bay beach in Co Wicklow after people hit the coast to cool off.
Conor McMorrow, a reporter with RTE, expressed his dismay at the "disgusting" scenes in Bettystown, Co Meath, which Meath County Council has referred to their litter warden.
Why do people do this when the sun comes out? Maybe the fines are not high enough to deter it? It’s disgusting - Sand dunes at an otherwise clean beach in Bettystown, Co Meath #heatwave @meathcoco . #sunnynortheast . pic.twitter.com/nN9KyuP0xl
— Conor McMorrow (@ConorMcMorrow) June 25, 2018
Beaches in West Cork and Sligo also fell victim to the littering.
yeaterday on @mulagmore co sligo over 30 wipes in less than 30m of beach, #2minutebeachclean #thinkbeforeyouflush #cleancoasts pic.twitter.com/debx5QRbS5
— Clean Coasts (@CleanCoasts) July 1, 2018
Always nice to leave memories of a day out behind for your great great grandchildren. #litter #takeithome #lazy #westcork #WildAtlanticWay pic.twitter.com/Xx1aVDMM9O
— Gary Whyte (@Gwhizz365) June 30, 2018
It was not just beaches which were affected, as this pictures show vodka bottles among the rubbish at the banks of the Grand Canal in Tullamore.
With the warm weather set to continue this week, people are encouraged to bring their rubbish home with them when enjoying the great outdoors.
