A litter “catastrophe” on a major Northern Ireland road shows a Stormont department and a council being poles apart on communication records with no signs of a clean up in three years.
Following a Local Democracy Reporter Service investigation in March 2023, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council admitted responsibility for clearing litter from a large section of the Newry A1 Bypass.
The council then pledged to liaise with the Department for Infrastructure to set up a safe way for its staff to pick up the litter using impact protection vehicles, but “nothing” has been lifted yet as a three year dateline is about to pass.
A concerned local business owner, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke to the LDRS saying: “The council finally accepted its responsibility for cleaning these areas of the road three years ago and still nothing has happened to clean up the litter, it’s a disgrace.
“It’s a litter catastrophe that has to be seen to be believed, there must be tonnes of rubbish on the side of the road all the way up this stretch of the bypass.
“If the council didn’t clean the streets of Newry there would be a complete uproar, but they continue to fail in their duty to clean the bypass and no one seems to care. This is a huge problem both for the environment impact and even how visitors to Newry will get their first look at the place and that is as a rubbish tip at the moment.”
DfI and the council had been at loggerheads for some time over the responsibility of the clear up, with clarity provided three years ago that it was a matter for the council.
The area in question is the Beech Hill to Cloughogue dual carriageway phase of the road, which was completed in 2010 at a cost of over £150m, with tens of thousands of motorists using it every day since.
The final section of the road was hailed as making the island of Ireland more accessible than it had ever been before. It passes through the Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The LDRS contacted both the council and DfI for a progress update since 2023 , however it seems that the government bodies have a communication breakdown on any talks happening about litter in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The council has claimed it continues to liaise with DfI, yet the department headed by Newry and Armagh MLA Liz Kimmins states it has heard nothing from the council in the last three years.
A spokesperson for NMDDC said: “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is continuing to liaise with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) regarding the clearance of litter along sections of the A1 Bypass.
“Any litter removal works must be carefully coordinated with DfI to ensure appropriate traffic management measures are in place and, most importantly, that the safety of staff and road users is not compromised.”
A DfI spokesperson said: “The department has not been contacted by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council regarding litter on the A1 bypass at this time. DfI does not have enforcement powers in relation to the collection of litter by local authorities on the road network.
“However, the department remains willing to coordinate with the council to help facilitate their collection of litter along the bypass.”
