Watters urges vigilance against unregistered ‘men with ven’ refuse collectors

Dundalk Muncipial District councillor Antoin Watters has urged the public to be vigilant for instances of illegal dumping in the north of the county and to be wary of unregistered ‘men with ven’ types who collect building material and rubbish for  a fee only to dump it in the countryside.

The Sinn Féin councillor was speaking today after the discovery of a large scale dumping of building materials at Ravensdale Park. In a tweet, the Riverstown based representative said he believed this instance was connected to a similar dump in Flagstaff, just over the border in Armagh – not five kilometres from Ravensdale.

“I have no doubt both are connected,” he said. Today’s dumping consisted of a pile of construction related refuse including timber cutoffs, insulation strips and sacks of associated rubbish. The disposal was made right at the ‘Welcome to Ravensdale Park’ sign, in full view and easily discoverable.

“This is the second instance in the last week,” Watters told LouthNow.ie tonight. “There was dumping noticed in the Flagstaff area of South Armagh.

“Basically, what I’m asking people to be aware of is there anyone doing building work and they have no skip. There’s obviously a man in a van going around collecting this stuff with no permit and just dumping it in our countryside.

“What I want people to do is be vigilant, keep and eye. There’s no harm in asking questions and if there’s anything suspicious, to report it to the Gardai or the council,” he added.