Two men who were accused of illegally dumping rubbish had cases against them dismissed yesterday when they told a Limerick court they were, in fact, only looking for useful things in other people's rubbish.
The two scavengers had been seen by private investigators hired by Limerick Corporation, who were secretly watching them at Limerick city dump.
In a series of cases under the Litter Pollution Act heard at Limerick District Court yesterday, one defendant was fined and three had their cases dismissed for illegal dumping at the gates of the former Long Pavement dump on the Parteen Road. The landfill dump was closed last month.
Mr David Hogan, of Sean Allen Terrace, Tipperary, at Limerick District Court yesterday, denied illegally dumping rubbish.
He said it was "the opposite way round", and he could have in fact been collecting black bags when under surveillance.
He sometimes came across items he could sell, he said.
"I do not come 24 miles with bags of rubbish to dump them. I have a refuse collection in my own town."
Mr Paul O'Donnell of Shanabooly Road, Limerick, also had his case dismissed after a private investigator, Mr George Richter, said he had observed "a male subject" opening the boot of his car on March 11th and dumping rubbish outside the gates of the dump.
Mr O'Donnell said he had seen a traffic cone sticking up in the rubbish and thought it would be handy for his car valeting business. He found two traffic cones and put them in his car.
A third case was dismissed for lack of evidence.
However, a woman who was not in court was fined £150 and ordered to pay £250 in costs and expenses, after "a male was observed with a chequered shirt" at the dump entrance throwing out various bags of rubbish from a car on March 24th.
Outside the courthouse, Mr Richter said the dark nights had prevented him using a night vision camera.
A mixture of mobile surveillance, involving driving by in a car, and steady surveillance had been carried out on the site.
It was not just the rats that he and his colleague had to contend with. "When people look at a dump, they think of it as just a place for refuse. But there is a world in that dump. You have pickers making their living there from rummaging and gathering scrap. If we were found out, we would be regarded as enemies."