Beautiful weather this weekend has brought piles of litter to towns, coastal areas and beauty spots, with Portobello in Dublin particularly inundated with rubbish within hours of the Lord Mayor’s appeal for people to keep it clean.
Over the weekend, large numbers of people have been gathering with friends, making the most of the good weather as temperatures inland reached towards 20 degrees in places.
Gardaí dispersed crowds at Salthill, Co Galway on Saturday night after large groups gathered enjoying the sunny weather.
Crowds also gathered at Sandycove in Co Dublin as Dubliners flocked to beaches from Howth to Greystones and points further.
People are tired from a long year but it’s not an excuse to trash our nature @dlrcc @GardaTraffic #DúnLaoghaire #Monkstown #Covid pic.twitter.com/yQmMj1A5fh
— Cllr Lorraine Hall (@LorraineHallFG) April 25, 2021
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A Fine Gael councillor in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown shared photos on social media of rubbish in an outdoor area.
“People are tired from a long year but it's not an excuse to trash our nature,” Cllr Lorraine Hall tweeted.
She said the council should “double up” on bins during the summer period and have more frequent collections.
Meanwhile, an appeal from the Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu for people to respect public space in the Portobello area of the city appeared to fall on deaf ears.
Ms Chu issued the appeal on Friday as the weekend got underway. Under the heading Portobello Matters, the mayor launched a Dublin City Council social media appeal asking people to respect the Portobello area and desist from outdoor drinking there.
She said the appeal was in response to numerous complaints from residents about people leaving their rubbish behind and people frequently urinating and even defecating outside homes. “We want everyone to be able to enjoy the space but the above behaviours are simply not okay,” she said.
Portobello last night. We have to do a whole lot better. This can’t continue, even in the short term. pic.twitter.com/KrwuDfFIH9
— James Geoghegan 🌈👨👩👧👦 🚴🕒🏡🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@GeogheganCllr) April 25, 2021
But on Saturday the area, along with many others along Dublin’s canals, was packed with revellers who left beer cans, bottles and assorted rubbish on walls, window ledges and in piles on the ground.
Met Éireann said Sunday would remain dry and mostly sunny with highest temperatures of 14 to 18 degrees, warmest in the west. Monday is also set to start dry and sunny with a little cloud at times turning the sunshine hazier.
