Call for action after lorry driver '˜threw urine bottle on Larne road'

Earlier this month, the Times reported on the scourge of bottles of urine littering the banks of the Inver River.

Larne man Ian Ross then came forward to say that he had witnessed a trucker dump one such bottle along the Harbour Highway as he exited the Port of Larne.

“I was driving behind a lorry on the harbour highway and witnessed one of them throwing it out the window, it’s disgusting,” he said. “It’s not just the Inver River, I counted five bottles around KFC and they are up the side of the dual carriageway and outside Ship Street and on the roundabout.

“It doesn’t show much respect for areas they are going through,” he continued. “It’s not giving a good first impression of Larne.”

A council spokesperson said its wardens patrol the harbour area, and anyone caught littering could be fined £80.

“Where any such activity is observed, evidence will be taken and penalty notices issued to those responsible,” he stated.

The spokesperson urged anyone who witnessed items being thrown from vehicles to note their number and report it to the council’s environmental health department on 03001245000.

A spokesperson for P&O ferries and the Port of Larne said they took “every measurable step to ensure the surrounding area to the Port of Larne is maintained to the highest level of cleanliness.”

She said that they provided on-board toilet and showering facilities for freight passengers and a toilet block close to the embarkation point for driver-accompanied lorries in Larne.

“Every measure is taken to discourage littering of any kind,” she added. “Educational materials are visible and available on-board to encourage passengers to respect the local community as they pass through the town’s roads on their onward journey.”