Stop dropping litter - councillor

Speaking after a busy weekend, in which thousands of visitors used both the bridge and the park, Councillor Diver said: “Since the opening of the Peace Bridge we have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the numbers of people visiting both the Ebrington site and the St Columb’s Park area. Unfortunately this has coincided which a huge increase in levels of serious littering.

“In the case of St Columb’s Park itself, five times as much litter had to be cleared away. I have spoken to council officers with a view to urgently addressing this issue, however we also need the co-operation and assistance of the general public on this,” he said.

“An area badly strewn with litter creates a health and safety risk, is unfair to local residents and other park users, and gives a very poor impression to the many visitors to our city. It has the potential to seriously impact upon tourism, if not the jobs that depend on people wanting to travel here and see a beautiful city, well-kept by its citizens.

“It is simply unacceptable for people to throw their rubbish on the ground for others to deal with it. Pleading ‘full bins’ is not an excuse; I would urge people to please take your litter home and dispose of it much as is expected in rural locations where bins might not be available. Especially in the run up to City of Culture in 2013, the mindset that littering is somehow acceptable, must change.”