Contractors and the operations staff of Fingal County Council have reduced the list of 40 items, compiled by the Swords Pickers group, to 11 difficult to remove items from the Ward River Valley.
In the coming weeks a contractor for Fingal County Council will visit each of the difficult to reach items and prepare an approach for their removal.
The plan for the remaining items may take time as some are likely to involve bringing machinery to the site or waiting for vegetation to die back over the winter months.
The contactor will also aim to remove anything they can from these areas and to investigage some more recent reports of dumping.
The council have also explained that they did not receive a tender for the regular river clean up contract which they put out for the Swords rivers. However they have recently agreed a day rate with an experienced contractor to do this work.
The plan is to have regular river clean ups carried out by his contractor over the months of the year when the rivers are more accessible.
Cllr Ian Carey said:
“I’m glad to see some solid progress on this list compiled by the Swords Pickers group. It’s not particularly surprising that some of what was on the list is going to take time to resolve but now at least there will be a specific plan for each of these and that in the coming months they will all be resolved. I have had a number of meetings now with official on this and I’m very glad to see a really committed approach to tackle this coming from within the council. It’s something that has been ongoing for a very long time and I’m glad to have been able to get the council to focus on it.
“I want to really thank the Swords Pickers group who have been doing incredible work for many years in the Ward River Valley park.
“The sad reality is though that no sooner will this list be complete but more dumping will happen. Again I encourage anyone who knows or sees anyone dumping to report it to Fingal County Council.”
