Ballygally litter pick up ‘raises questions’

The local authority issued the appeal after a member of the public contacted the Larne Times to voice concern about the issue.

The individual, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had conducted a litter pick in the Ballygally area and collected three bags of rubbish inside an hour.

“It’s astounding. It’s incredible. And this on our much praised Coast Road. Think of the number of tourists that come round this stretch of road. Surely litter in Northern Ireland must be one of the negative images they take away?

“There are two big questions: How to we stop it happening? And How do we deal with the aftermath?

“Local people are prepared to play their part and the people of Ballygally do two organised litter picks a year. The council needs to put boots on the ground and keep our country clean.”

In response, a spokesperson for MEA Council said: “Council has a full time member of staff providing street cleansing in Ballygally, Coast Road and the surrounding area. This consists of 58 litter bins which are emptied and areas litter picked daily from Monday to Friday.

“A large mechanical sweeper also sweeps the Coast Road in weekly sections completing it in entirety over six weeks.

“Council is fully committed to doing all that we can to keep the borough litter free and we thank the majority of our residents and visitors who take a responsible approach to this.

“We encourage anybody with information regarding littering in Mid and East Antrim to contact us.”