‘Disgraceful’ - beer cans, bottles, crisp bags, food stuffs dumped at Ballyliffin

A group of unscrupulous party people who dumped a load of rubbish, including a barbecue grill and bedclothes, on an Inishowen beach have been branded “a disgrace”.

Locals and visitors to Ballyliffin Beach were left outraged after observing several bagfuls of rubbish, much of it strewn across a wide area in the protected dunes, as well as the charred and blackened remnants of fires.

The illegal dumpsite on Easter Monday consisted of cans, bottles, foodstuffs, crisp packets and tubs of sauces, while pillows, blankets and camping gear were also discarded.

One local woman, who brought visitors to the beautiful beach for a stroll over the bank holiday weekend, has spoken of her disgust and disappointment.



“We had overseas visitors staying with us over Easter and, as a treat, drove to Ballyliffin for a bite to eat on Easter Monday. Afterwards, we were excited to take them to Ballyliffin Beach. Imagine our shock when, just yards from the carpark and the play area, we came upon an abandoned barbecue apparatus and rubbish from some sort of party that must have taken place in the dunes just above the beach.”

“It was disgusting. Beer cans, bottles, crisp bags, food stuffs. Some of it was in bags and some of it was lying loose. Pillows and blankets were also strewn about the place. All of this just yards from the beach.”

The woman said the overseas visitors were “shocked” by what they saw in such an area of outstanding natural beauty.
“We had chatted up how beautiful and unspoilt the beaches in Inishowen are, and within 30 seconds of leaving the car, we encountered this. It's so disappointing that people wouldn't have enough respect for the Ballyliffin area to take their rubbish with them so that the rest of us can enjoy the beautiful surroundings without wading through their filth. Shame on them, whoever they are.”

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“It's unlikely the Council will be able to identify them from the rubbish left behind but I hope someone saw who it was and reports them,” she added.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail County Councillor Martin McDermott has slammed those behind the incident.
“It was a busy weekend in Ballyliffin. There was another very successful Ballyliffin Coastal Challenge on – and a lot of hard work was put into that by the committee out there.”

“But it's disappointing to see that some few people then on the bank holiday Monday would leave that type of rubbish behind them.

“It’s got nothing to do with the Coastal Challenge or anything like that. Those people all come and go on the Saturday and are all very respectful for the area that they're in. But there are other people who came down over the weekend and had barbecues and stuff on the beach. It is very disrespectful to then leave all that stuff behind them.

Cllr McDermott said he informed Donegal County Council, which had been due to arrange a clean-up operation.
He urged anyone with information to inform the local authority.

“If anybody knows or has any information on who's doing this or leaving that stuff behind them, maybe they would contact the Council.”

The Council said it was aware of the Ballyliffin incident. A DCC spokesperson added: "Illegal dumping poses environmental risks and diminishes the efforts of the many volunteers who work hard to keep our community clean.

"Illegal dumping not only harms the environment but also undermines the valuable work carried out by members of our community. Let's all do our part to keep our surroundings clean and support those who contribute positively to our shared spaces."