Month: January 2010

ENNIS’S reputation as one of the cleanest towns in Ireland took a hit yesterday when it tumbled 42 places in the latest Irish Business Against Piro mOlsyaN Relais

Ennis was listed in second place in last June’s survey but has since fallen to 46th position, from a sta- tus of ‘clean to European norms’ to ‘moderately littered’ in IBAL’s final results for 2009. Shannon has leap- frogged Ennis to become Clare’s ti- diest town, according to IBAL.

Shannon rose to 20th place and 1s described in the report as “Clean to European Norms’.

IBAL’s report for Shannon stated: “Half of the sites surveyed in Shan- non were clean to European norms, with the remainder ‘moderately lit- tered’. Some of the top ranking sites included Ballycasey Business Park, Bothar Mor approach and Bothar an Aerphort approach. Newmarket-on -Fergus road approach just missed getting the top litter grade. The town centre was moderately littered and care needs to be taken to ensure it doesn’t deteriorate.

The report looked at ten areas in Ennis and was particularly critical of the town’s approach roads.

The report stated, “There has been a very significant drop in the per- formance at Ennis since our previ- ous survey. Being clean is a 365-day responsibility for the local authority. Five of the sites surveyed in Ennis were clean to European norms but it was let down by two very poor sites – the Department of Social Welfare was a litter blackspot – clearly it has been completely neglected for quite Se) seem BDO tome

The report added, “The link road at

Citroen / Camus Garage to Cahercal- la Road had a serious litter problem – it was the worst of all the approach routes which were surveyed coming into Ennis.”

However, speaking yesterday, May- or of Ennis, Frankie Neylon (Ind) rejected IBAL’s assessment, saying IBAL should look at Ennis’s track record in Tidy Towns competition.

Town Clerk, Eddie Power told yesterday’s meeting of Ennis Town

Council that half of the areas sur- veyed in Ennis were found to be clean to European norms.

“It’s hard to accept their comments because they don’t stand up to scru- tiny,” he said.

However, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said Ennis’s fall illustrated a “real credibility” in IBAL’s ratings sys- c0e8

He said the council should look at the survey as constructive criticism.

He told the meeting that approach roads to Ennis are “a mess of rub- bish”’.

“Anybody who walks around Ennis will see that. It’s people who are go- ing around and dumping rubbish. It’s a substantial problem,” he said

Cllr Meaney praised the work done by the council’s environmental war- dens and added that it was “vital we identify the wholesale dumping of rubbish by an underclass’. He said

people who engage in illegal dump- ing should receive jail sentences.

A MAN in his 20s, arrested in con- nection with a robbery involving a knife in Shannon during Christmas, has been released without charge.

The alarm was raised after a man carrying a kitchen knife demanded money at an off-licence in Shannon on St Stephen’s Day.

The incident happened at the off- licence attached to the Crossroads Pub in Drumgeely at around 5.30pm

that evening. The man, who wore a scarf over his face, demanded mon- ey before making way with around €200 in cash.

A staff member and a customer were on the premises at the time. Although traumatised by the inci- dent, they did not sustain injuries.

Gardai have secured CCTV foot- age of the area and have viewed this as part of the investigation, while a forensic examination has been car- ried out at the scene. A man was ar-

rested in Shannon last Tuesday and was questioned at Shannon Garda Station.

He was later released without charge and a file is being prepared for the DPP, who will decide if charges are to be brought.

“The investigation is ongoing. Statements have been taken. CCTV has been secured and is being ex- amined in order to assist the identi- fication. A forensic examination has been carried out and we are await-

ing the results of that,” said a garda spokesman.

“We are appealing to witnesses who were in the area at the time to come forward,” said the spokes- ner Ob

Shannon Gardai can be contacted on 061 361212.

Meanwhile, gardai in Tulla are in- vestigating an incident in which an elderly woman was robbed of mon- ey over the Christmas.

Two people, posing as workers,

called to her door in Tulla village shortly before 6am last Wednesday, December 30, on the pretence that they were checking for flood-related TSS oh

While one of the two distracted the woman, the other searched the house and made way with what gardai are describing as a small sum of cash. The two people – a man and woman – are described as being in their 20s. Gardai in Tulla are investigating the incident.

THE MULKEAR River in Clare is one of 50 rivers where anglers can legally enjoy fishing for salmon, ac- cording to regulations just approved.

But the permits to catch salmon come with a grim warning that their numbers are still under threat and that poachers are depleting stocks aUUmatbaseom

The Minister for Natural Resourc- es, Conor Lenihan TD, has approved a suite of regulations and bye-laws that will govern the wild salmon fish- ery in 2010. These came into effect on January |.

Under the regulations, salmon fish- ing will be permitted in the Mulkear and in neighboring Limerick in the River Feale.

The number of rivers in which a catch will be permitted is now 50, two more than last year. Four rivers which were closed to fishing in 2009 will be opened but two which were being fished – the Blackwater in Ker- ry and Glengariff in Cork – will now be closed to conserve stock.

Meanwhile scientists and officials in charge of the State’s inland fisher- ies say that poaching “has increased due to the recession” as people have more time on their hands and less money to spend on luxuries such as a0 (ecy-¥beslOyee

Fish conservationists are alarmed that poachers are ‘lamping’ salmon – using bright lights to stun them and spearing the spawning fish with

pitchforks.

The Regional Fisheries Boards have appealed to people to stop the prac- tice, which poses a “severe threat” to the future of salmon stocks and the tourism businesses which depend on Weloeen

Announcing the river openings, the minister said that 11] rivers are open only to angling on a ‘catch and re- lease’ basis because of the status of stocks. There are 80 rivers closed to fishing as salmon stocks are not meeting conservation limits. In re- gard to the scientific analysis of

salmon stocks, the minister said, “This reflects the persistent down- ward trend in marine survival which is pervasive throughout all the North Atlantic stock complexes as reported by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Significantly, Irish marine survival indices are at their lowest since records began in the 1980s and appear to be declining further.”