Madam, - A report in your edition of May 6th contained inaccurate allegations about Kilkenny County Council. The council has no knowledge of any effort being made by The Irish Times to contact us for a response. The facts are as follows.
Mr Jack Hamilton owns a fishing school on the River Nore near Freshford. This river is not in public ownership. As a landowner and fishing rights owner, he has control of the river at that location. There is a general duty on occupiers and those exercising control of lands (which includes that covered by water) to keep them free of litter.
In 2000, on a once-off basis, council staff assisted Mr Hamilton in a clean-up of his lands. Refuse was removed to the landfill where a search of its contents was undertaken to identify its source, but no evidence was found. Recently, he rang the council asking for a similar clean-up. It was again explained to him that while we sympathised with his predicament, it was not the council's responsibility. Assistance in the form of gloves, bags etc. was offered to him, but was refused.
Local authorities have neither the manpower nor resources to clean up all the rivers in the country. The problem can only be tackled through vigilance by landowners and the co-operation of the public in uncovering sufficient evidence to allow for prosecution by local authorities. Unfortunately, many people are reluctant to give evidence in court.
It is easy to present any litter problem as a case of official indifference. In reality, the impact of local authorities' regulatory control depends on public co-operation and limited by financial constraints and finite resources. The solution lies in a co-operative relationship with the public.
Kilkenny County Council helps many voluntary groups each year to carry out clean-ups in their areas. There are public awareness campaigns to advise people of the assistance that is available. The council's record is one of continued support for community efforts to tackle litter problems and this position was seriously misrepresented in the report in question. - Yours, etc.,
S. O'NEILL, Environmental Awareness Officer, Kilkenny County Council, Kilkenny.